The Motorbike Accident
by Cha-Cha
Summary: It's the summer after their sixth year and James has an accident on Sirius' beloved motorbike. Injured, James does his best to fix the bike before Sirius gets home but how will it affect their friendship? Will James also be able to win Lily's friendship?
1. Prologue

Author: Cha-Cha 

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show so please don't sue.**

**A/N: I was going to briefly mention this storyline in another fic I have planned, that is if I ever get around to writing it, but suddenly it expanded into this. Hope you like it, there really needs to be more James injured out there, so many are about the other Marauders but not him. Oh well, enjoy and please do leave a review!**

Bloody wet weather James grumbled to himself as he raced along the wide open dual carriage ways on his way home. The rain lashed down around him, causing small rivers to run down his helmet and black bike leathers, he was just thankful there wasn't thunder and lightning; now that would really have made his day, he thought sarcastically. Splashing through yet another puddle, he wished not for the first time he was at home laying in front a warm fire, and not shivering due to the cold that had seeped through the wet leather, chilling him to the bone.

The weather hadn't been too bad that morning when he'd set out, in fact it looked quite sunny which was a nice change from the previous few days. It may be August but that certainly didn't mean it was hot, and as with most British weather, it had rapidly changed as he made his way back from his trip to the local muggle shopping centre. Instead of the lovely clear blue skies, it had become dark and overcast, then, as he was halfway home, the heavens had opened.

Deciding it was better just to get home instead of finding somewhere to wait out the rain, which could have been days knowing his luck, he had carried on home, a slightly slower than he normally would have done as he vision wasn't quite as good as it would be on a clear day.

Going around another bend, he gave a slight smile remembering everyone was returning home in less than a week. Sirius had gone to visit Andromeda and her 5 year old daughter, Nymphadora, Ted Tonks was away out of the country on a conference for a few days so Sirius was going to help out for a bit, and his mother was on the same conference as Ted on new methods of un-splinching people that were more time effective or something like that, he'd stopped listening after the first few words. In either way, Sirius had told James he could use his bike while he was away; they had both gained their licences the year before as soon as the bike had been finished so as to make sure they wouldn't get stopped on the roads.

The roads weren't as empty as one may expect on a wet day like this day, but the traffic was still moving at a good speed James realised as he followed the now straight road ahead, keeping an eye out for any cars that may try and cut him up.

He never saw the grey car that blended into the grey mists. He never saw how the man didn't look properly to the side before pulling over lanes. He didn't even realise he'd been hit until he suddenly realised he was flying, straight over the bonnet of the grey car, the motorbike coming straight after him.

Pain, agony, the blinding flashes of every nerve in his body screaming for attention, was the first thing James realised as he began to come too. Murmuring voices drifted through his pounding head as well as the never ceasing thumping of the rain as it hit the metal vehicles and leathers he wore before finally the darkness consumed him, not too sure whether or not it was his imagination that the sirens were coming from.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show so please don't sue.**

**A/N: I know a few people have read this story, but no ones reviewed it, so please, do drop a line. Tell me if it's any good, but please do be polite!**

The throbbing hit him as he began to awaken. It wasn't as bad as it had been, but even so, it felt as though he'd been put through the wringer a couple of times.

Squinting into the far too bright light, he closed his eyes again realising it was only making his head hurt more. A beeping noise came from beside his head, where was he?

This certainly wasn't home, he was sure of that, last he remembered…he was riding the bike home…then…then…a grey car…a siren maybe and voices all around. What the hell was going on?

Opening his eyes full, he groped to the side of him with the arm that hurt less and found his glasses. Slipping them onto his nose, he found he was no better off figuring out where he was. The room was small with a number of machines in it; his bed was set to one side but there was another, although empty next to the window. The room was bright white, the only colour being the beige duvet and the pale green curtains that could be pulled around to screen the bed.

Only a few seconds had passed before a large woman bustled into the room wearing a deep blue dress. 'How are you feeling kid?' She asked briskly, checking over some monitors and a clipboard that had been attached to the bottom of the bed.

'Umm sore, confused.' He croaked, his mouth felt like parchment; grabbing a paper cup, she poured some water from a nearby jug and helped him take a couple of sips before replacing it on the side.

'What do you remember?' fired the next question.

'Not a lot, where am I? What happened?' he forced out the questions, thankful for the drink he'd just had.

'You were in a motorcycle accident Mr Potter and you've been taken to Westport General Hospital.' Came the direct answer from the Nurse. 'Now, what exactly hurts?'

'Everything,' James groaned as he closed his eyes, hoping when he opened them again he'd find out it was only a dream, scrap that, nightmare.

'Well, you've been very lucky Mr Potter; you're alive.' She told him as she forced him to swallow some tablets. 'We've tried to find a contact number for your parents, but there doesn't seem to be one, we were lucky finding your driving licence on you.'

James let her voice drift over him as a wave of drowsiness came over him, what the hell were in those tablets? Distantly listening to what his injuries were, he realised he probably should be more worried, but he mused it was probably whatever they'd given him making him this calm about everything. A broken arm, 32 stitches, something very technical with his knee that would require crutches for a while, a sprained wrist and a few broken ribs as well as more bruises than he could count; he was fortunate not to have more broken bones or internal bleeding, thank Merlin he listened to his mothers advice about wearing protective clothing and helmet, they probably saved his life.

The bike! Sirius was going to kill him if he'd written off his Motorcycle. 'My bike?' he asked drowsily, interrupting her mid rant about teenagers and motorbikes. She gave a small huff but answered anyway.

'It's at the garage, you were lucky it wasn't written off, but there is a lot of damage.'

Sirius was going to kill him was the last though James had before drifting off again.

Coming to again, he realised the pain medication must have kicked in as it was only his muscles that really groaned, but for the first time he felt wide awake. A new nurse barged into the room, still wearing the same type of uniform only this lady was a lot smaller with charcoal black hair and a posture that suggested no one messed with her.

'How long have I been here?' James asked as he managed to sit up, trying to keep his body from jarring his ribs as they protested at the movement.

'Three days. You're lucky you know.' The nurse answered somewhat distractedly as once again she made notes on his chart.

'So I've heard.' James told her ruefully. He'd been here three days! It felt like only yesterday he'd been going home, though with his frequent waking up periods, it had distorted his perception of time quite significantly. Hang on, that meant his parents and Sirius were coming home on two days! The bike… 'When can I get out of here?' he asked, if it was possible he could go then he'd at least finish most of it before his friend came home.

'Not for a couple of days yet, but you seem to be healing well.'

'What if I want to leave now?' The nurse looked startled at this demand.

'Well I wouldn't recommend it.'

'I want to leave now.' James told her firmly, his posture equally determined. She blinked before giving a small sigh.

'I'll get the Doctor.' She replied before heading out of the room, muttering under her breath probably something not very pleasant about un-co-operative patients.

The doctor as well as the nurse returned a few moments later, and after a small debate, he was finally allowed to sign the release papers as well as being given a walking stick for his leg, his pain medication as well as the doses he was to take with strict instructions to return in a few days to have his stitches removed and the rest of him checked out.

Maybe this was a little too soon to be out of hospital James thought to himself as he limped his way out of the hospital. He'd outright refused a wheelchair saying he could manage just fine with a crutch, allowing him to put minimal weight on his right leg. He must look like a herd of Hippogriffs had stampeded over him, James mused, what with his left arm in plaster, bruises everywhere and a walking stick; if only they could see the true depth of his injuries, but fortunately the stitches and the state of his ribs that were well covered by his shirt. The hospital had given him some old clothing they had on hand to him as the clothes he'd come in wearing had been beyond repair.

Stepping out to near the main road, he saw a taxi coming towards him, calling it over, he thanked Merlin profusely for only carrying muggle money with him that day, aiming to pass as a muggle for the day. It also meant his wand was safe at home and he could avoid any awkward questions about why he had a stick in his pocket, but it did also have the downside of meaning he couldn't call the Knight Bus home.

Getting, carefully, into the taxi, he gave the next best address he could think of, 'Fairfield Close please.'


	3. Chapter 2

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show so please don't sue.**

**A/N: Thank you Summerlovin9191 for being my first reviewer! Glad you're enjoying it, and I hope this chapter is what you hoped for! Just have to wait a bit for Sirius though! lol!**

'Here's the money.' James told the driver as he handed over the correct amount, it had been pure luck he had been so far from home that day, and so close to where they lived that he could drop in, not that they will want him to drop in but that was beside the point James argued with himself, how could they possibly drive him away when he was in this state.

Limping up to the door slowly getting the hang of using the walking stick, he gave a sigh of relief when he heard people moving and chatting, coming closer to the door. The door swung open revealing a young red headed woman about the same age as James. 'Potter!' she exclaimed, shocked at seeing him on her doorstep.

'Hey Evans, I really need a favour.' James gave her his usual smile, doing his best to ignore the slow throbbing that was beginning in his leg and ribs. Her eyes narrowed at this and lips tightened into a thin line. 'Look, I know you hate my guts, but I really need to get home.'

'What do you expect me to do, drive you there? If this is another trick-' she began to warn him, but stopped as he began to shake his head.

'Believe me I really wish this was.' He took a deep breath, wincing slightly as his ribs once again made themselves known before getting his story out, realising he only had one chance to get her to understand. 'I crashed Sirius' motorbike and was at a muggle hospital for the last few days, but I only have muggle money and my wand is at home so I can't call the Knight Bus.' He explained as quickly as possible. Sighing, she indicated for him to come inside.

Groaning as he sat down on the sofa, he waited for the pain to subside before opening his eyes. 'Okay Potter, start at the beginning and what exactly you need me for and not one of your Maraudering friends.' Lily demanded as she sat opposite him, listening to how he had come off the bike.

'…and so I really need your help to get me to the garage where Sirius' bike is before taking me home. If you lend me some Wizarding money and stick out your wand for me, I'll pay you back as soon as I can, I just really need to get home.' James was almost pleading by the end, forcing him to look down in an attempt to hide the fact he was almost in tears, the frustrations, the worries and pain finally catching up with him. He seemed genuine Lily realised, it was the first time she had seen him for who he truly was, no cocky grin or mask covering his face no arrogant smirk or posture covering up who he really was. This was the true James Potter the man she had been waiting to see.

'Okay Potter. I'll help.' Lily decided in that split second, maybe she would get to see more of the man she felt must be inside, and whom she had set her heart on so many years ago.

'Thank you,' James rushed out, letting out a deep breath, before wincing at the pain this caused him.

'But, on one condition, I'm going with you. You are in no state to be wandering around on your own.' Lily told him firmly, leaving no room for argument. James nodded his head in agreement before slowly standing up. A taller woman with hair and eyes very similar to Lily walked onto the room. She was dressed simply in a summer dress after all the hot weather while still looking quite young.

'Oh hello dear, I thought I heard the doorbell going. Who's your friend?' Mrs Evans asked her daughter, giving a cautious smile towards the boy.

'Mum, this is James Potter, a…' she faltered for a second, trying to think of suitable word, 'friend from Hogwarts.' Lily's mother turned her attention the guest, giving a true smile this time but not offering to shake his hand as he looked far too fragile in her eyes.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Holly Evans, Lily's mum.'

'Thank you ma'am, I'm James. I hope I'm not intruding.' He introduced himself awkwardly, his mind feeling fuzzy from all of the drugs he was being given.

'Of course not, but I feel I must ask if you are alright? We'd be happy for you to stay here for a bit while you get better; or at least for your parents to know where you are.' Holly looked very concerned causing James to compare her fondly with his own mum and how she would fuss over every little thing.

'Actually Mum, he's asked me to help him home using the Knight Bus, remember the one that takes me to Diagon Alley,' she added seeing the confusion on her mothers face before she remembered where she'd heard the name before.

'Are you sure dear?' Holly asked, very concerned about this badly injured boy, he hardly looked as though he could stand let alone catch a bus and go home, 'It's really alright for you to stay here; I can even give a room for your parents.' James gave her a small smile, he could easily see where Lily got her caring nature from, well, at least when she wasn't hexing him.

'It's just my mum, my sort of brother and me, and Sirius and my mum are away for a while, they'll be home soon though. I really have to go but thank you for the kind offer.' Holly looked even less reassured at this, but as her daughter left the room, she followed and gave her some extra words to which Lily instantly agreed. Returning to the room, she found James perched on the arm of the sofa, leaning slightly on the walking stick in aiding him to stay upright and also get up more easily.

'So, where to first?' Lily asked, grabbing her wand from her back pocket as well as her bag of galleons.

01010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101

Finally coming to a jerky stop outside the large manor, James did his best not to release what small lunch he had eaten earlier at the hospital. Helping him slowly stand up, Lily and James got off the Knight Bus, Sirius' motorbike safely stored, shrunken, in Lily's pocket. When they picked up the motorbike, not a lot of work had been done, but fortunately it hadn't been written off, leaving a lot of work that needed to be done before it could be ridden again. After purchasing the necessary parts, they had called the bus again and made their way back to Potter Manor.

'Wow!' Lily gasped as she looked up at the impressive building. It was a white manor that seemed to stretch on forever, with vines crawling over the front, all the way up to the third floor. Behind the curling gates stood a water fountain that broke up the silence that surrounded the peaceful surroundings. James smiled slightly as he caught his breath from the short walk to the gates.

'Like it?'

'It's beautiful.' Was the only response she could form, before a more serious expression came over her face as she looked at the boy beside her. He really wasn't in any shape to be out of the hospital, let alone be home alone. 'So have you a key to get through the gates?' She asked teasingly, trying to keep things light, he didn't have the energy or strength for their usual arguments as she watched just how heavily he was leaning on the walking stick.

'But of course, Ma famille premiere.' The gates swung open effortlessly.

'You speak French?' The red head asked, surprised once again by someone she normally considered her enemy as they made their way slowly across the courtyard.

'Family motto, they're normally in either French or Latin, Sirius' was French I think, never was too good at languages, but he's adopted our now, my family first.' He managed to get out between laboured breaths, doing his best to cover up how he truly felt, and to make sure they didn't argue about anything. This had to be the longest conversation they'd ever had.

'Where's the living room?' Lily's voice broke through his thoughts. He nodded into the direction of the room as he was led into there before being made to sit down. 'Now, where's your bedroom?' James' eyebrows shot up causing Lily to blush as she realised how it must have sounded. 'I mean so I can shrink your bed and bring it in here.'

'Lily I can make it upstairs, I've gotten this far.' He argued back, he was not going to give up after the distance he'd managed so far.

'No James, you're not going anywhere, you shouldn't even be out of hospital let alone travelling half the country and up and down stairs!' Lily told him firmly, allowing no room for argument. Giving a sigh, James folded, when she got an idea in her head it was very difficult to change her mind and he just didn't have the strength to try.

'Third floor, second room on the left; if you walk in and you trip over the stuff on the floor, it's my room.' He instructed her, his voice beginning to slur as sleep began to take a hold of him.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show so please don't sue.**

**A/N: ShoesDoNotExist: well, here's the next chapter as requested! Enjoy!**

**Theo Darkstar: James and Sirius' Mum is at a conference with Ted Tonks on splinching or something similar.**

**Sumerlovin9191: Well, just for you I've added a bit of Sirius, originally you weren't going to see him to the next chapter, but since you were so polite in asking here he, briefly, is!**

The sunlight hit his eyelids causing him to stir. Groaning as the pain from every muscle, cut and bruise hit him all at once.

'Here,' Lily's voice reached his ears as the world slid into focus as she put his glasses onto his nose. A hand helped him sit up before a number of tablets were slid into his mouth and some water was given to help them slide down his throat. He was helped back down onto the soft surface as the pain killers began their work. Looking around him, he realised he was in bed, dressed in nothing but his boxers, in his livingroom with the girl he'd liked for the past 6 years.

'Lily?' He croaked, before clearing his throat.

'Yes.' Was the response as she came back into view, helping him to sit up again. He clutched the bedcovers up over his chest in an attempt to stay decent.

'How did I get here? And like this? And why are you still here?' He rushed out all the questions that hit him. Lily smiled as she sat on the end of the bed, handing him a bowl of cereal that she'd found in the house.

_Going up the winding stairs and finally reaching the third floor, she looked around in despair at all the different rooms that lead of the corridor. The walls were a soft beige colour with many portraits hanging up, each depicting different Potter men and women from all times, including one of James, Sirius and a woman she guessed was his mother, guess Sirius really is a part of the family she thought to herself before reminding herself of the daunting task. Second room to the left James words rung in her head as made her way along the corridor. _

_This was crazy she realised, if you had told her the day before she'd be helping Potter return home and be walking around his house while he slept downstairs, she'd have escorted the to St Mungo's herself! Reaching the door, she cautiously opened it before flinging it the rest of the way open, the room was obviously his; and in far worse condition than James had mentioned. There were pieces of clothing everywhere, a mixture of both the clean and dirty made obvious by the mud that coated some pieces. She guessed they were from Quidditch practice but as the original colour was almost impossible to determine as well as if there were any writing on them, it was hard to tell now. Books and magazines were also littered in between the clothing piles while scraps of paper and chess pieces were carefully hidden on the floor, waiting in hiding for you to tread on them. _

_The double bed, which coincidently was the same colour red as the walls, was across the room from her, along with a desk, that much to her shock was actually tidy. Piles of homework that was done on one pile while one piece was waiting on the left- to- do heap. The quills were all stored in a container while a number of pictures of her, the Marauders and she guessed his family lined the desk. His Hogwarts trunk remained open at the foot of hid bed, his prized broomstick resting against the wall as the bristles remained in the trunk while his school robes barely managed to stay inside the trunk, half dangling off the rim of the trunk._

_Taking a deep breath, she slowly and cautiously made her way across the room, and much to her relief managed not to trip over or step on anything but the carpet. Taking her wand, she shrunk the bed and slipped it in her pocket before following the same path she'd taken in, out of the room._

_Climbing down the flights of stairs, she felt slightly disorientated as she tried to remember all the different corridors she'd taken to find the staircase. The house reminded her of all the stately homes her mother had dragged her to when she was a child, the overly posh rooms that left you feeling uncomfortable and as though they were only for show and not for living in, while the winding twisting corridors left you puzzled on where you had and hadn't been._

_Finally recognising where she was, she stepped back into the living room and smiled slightly as she saw how peaceful the teen was asleep on the sofa, completely different from the Marauder most people got to see when he was awake; he seemed so innocent, a label very few people would ever apply to this boy, she thought after, trying to keep the smile that threatened from her lips._

_Taking the bed from her pocket, she resized it before levitating the messy haired teen onto it, charming the bed covers back so he could slip under. Then, using a charm she'd picked up in her studies, she vanished all but his boxers, making them appear next to his crutch that lay uselessly on the floor before finally removing his glasses by hand and placing them on top of the small pile she'd made. _

_From her pockets once more, she couldn't have been gladder that she'd charmed her jean pockest to be bigger on the inside than the outside; she removed all the bike parts they had picked up as well as the shrunken bike itself. It had most certainly seen better days she told herself as she resized everything, if she was going to sleep later, it would certainly be too uncomfortable to do with all of that on her pockets._

_Satisfied with her work, she pulled out some floo powder she'd taken with her and fire called her mum to let her know all that had happened. After doing so, she transfigured the sofa so it would be a lot more comfortable and finally fell asleep; their small adventure had left her exhausted._

'Well, you fell asleep on the sofa,' she recounted deciding to keep things simple, 'so I simply put you in bed and did a charm to remove your clothes, they're over there, no I did not strip you myself.' James blushed at Lily's teasing, looking down at his blankets, not being able to meet her eyes. 'And if you think I'm leaving you alone like this then you have another thing coming Potter.' Lily turned serious at the end, 'and don't even think of using the your-mother-is-missing you excuse as mine has already told me not to even think about coming home til your parents arrive, and she'd prefer it if you came back to my house so she can keep an eye on you.' The words on his lips died before a smile replaced them.

'Thank you.' Was all he could say. Smiling as she did, she charmed his clothes clean and put them on him (Magically of course!). He groaned once more as his stiffened limbs unfolded as he stood up, grabbing hold of the walking stick to steady him as his knee threatened to give out once again. 'Where did you put the bike and parts?'

'They're over there.' She pointed over to the other side of the large room where the bike stood, propped up on its stand, the parts scattered all around it. James nodded distractedly, assessing the damage he'd caused. It didn't look good with the front wheel buckled and other parts damaged.

'Could you summon my wand for me?' He asked as he limped over to the machine. Silently she did so, handing him over the wand as he sat in front down besides it, Lily doing the same beside him.

'What are you planning to do?' She asked; worried about how he was going to get up again; if he was going to strain all his injuries even more.

'I've got to fix the bike.' He replied, still not really paying attention as he used his wand to straighten out the wheel at the front.

'Oh no you aren't, you're going straight to bed to rest. You're injured!' Evans protested, putting a hand on his wand in an attempt to stop him.

'Look Evans, I messed up and I've ruined the most precious thing to Sirius, his bike. I've got to fix it before he comes back, I could never forgive myself if I didn't.' James looked at her pleadingly; the pain of what he'd done evident in his eyes.

'I'm sure Sirius will understand, it was an accident, the other driver wasn't looking when he pulled over. It wasn't your fault.' Lily protested, equally as forcefully, looking into his eyes, she sighed. 'Your not going to give this up, are you?' He shook his head slowly so as not to cause more pain in his already aching neck and body. Although the pain medication had helped immensely, there was still a dull ache that throbbed through his battered body. 'What can I do to help?' He looked at her shocked.

'You want to help?' She nodded firmly, picking up a piece.

'If I'm helping, then I can keep an eye on you better,' she paused in thought as she decided to put down the deciding factor which would convince him, 'besides, you've always wanted to date me, so think of this as a chance to let us get to know one another, without all the arrogance and hexing. Besides, I used to help my dad out when I was younger when he was fixing up his cars. Used to be a mechanic til he…well, let's get on with it.' She cut herself off as thoughts of her father threatened to surface.

'Yeah, know what it's like to loose your father,' James commented as he looked into her eyes, there was no joking in them as he told her this before sensing this was a bad topic to start off on. 'So, can you pass the new wheel over?' Lily's face at this could almost have been comical if she wasn't so serious.

'You are not lifting anything! Your right arm is broken and the same wrist is sprained and you have broken ribs! There is no way on earth I'm going to let you even TRY to lift anything. Let me lift and you seal it in place with magic.' She relented slightly. James smiled and began directing her; maybe, just maybe she'd see him in a different light by the end of this.

0101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101

'I think I'm beginning to see why Ted was so keen to go to this convention,' Sirius muttered to himself as he threw himself casually onto the sofa. Helping Andromeda look after 5 year old daughter was a lot more difficult than it sounded, the kid never ran out of energy, not to mention hair colours. He'd been up since 6 that morning, a feat he never thought would have been possible had Nymphadora not woken him up, before being roped into playing with her dolls and then a three hour game of hide and seek! That one he was never falling for again, trying to find a kid who could literally blend into any colour made the game a lot more challenging!

Just another two days until he could go home to James' house. He could eat Mrs Potters cooking since she was coming home then as well, see James and ride his bike; oh how he couldn't wait to ride it again, the feel of the wind in his shoulder length hair, the power of the engine and the speed of the metal bike he mused before being roughly jerked out of his dreams by his cousin as she dragged him off the sofa to play with her stuffed animals in a tea party. Just another two days he groaned mentally, there was no way in hell anyone was ever going to find out about this humiliation! Ever!


	5. Chapter 4

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show so please don't sue.**

**A/N: Theo Darkstar: wow! You were fast at reviewing! Thank you and I hope this chapter is equally as good; Sirius is home…**

**Summerlovin1919: here's the chapter you've been waiting for, here's Sirius! Glad you like the relationship between Lily and James, **

'James, we've been working on this for two hours solid, please, just take a break.' Lily pleaded. It had been a day since they'd begun to work on the bike, and it was becoming harder and harder for her to drag him away; apart from meals, bathroom breaks and sleep, they had rarely moved from the room.

'I can't, they're coming home today and we're still nowhere near finished, not to mention the charms that need to be replaced to make it fly and become invisible and we need to-' James was still sat in front of the bike, although with new, fresh clothes on that he'd directed Lily to find for him, his crutch lying unused beside him.

'You're rambling.' Lily cut across him frustratedly, 'Look, I know they're coming back today, but you still need to eat and rest. It will not be finished by the time they get back, it's impossible!' She argued before stopping abruptly. She could have sworn she heard movement in the house. James heard it too as he picked up his wand and pointed it towards the door.

There seemed to be footsteps coming towards them, coming closer and closer. Getting to her feet, Evans peered around the door, before letting out the breath she hadn't known she was holding. 'Sirius Black! Haven't you ever heard of announcing yourself when you enter a house?' She demanded, crossing her arms and glaring at the other teen.

'Evans?' Was the only word Sirius could get out as he stared in shock at the red head who had suddenly appeared from the Potters living room.

'Congratulations Black, after 6 years, nearly 7, you have finally managed to remember my name. Was it that much of a strain?' She asked him sarcastically, enjoying the look of surprise on his face, it was rare for anyone to shock a Marauder; this was certainly a memory she would treasure forever.

'But, you're here, why are you here?' He stumbled out clumsily, 'you're a death eater aren't you!' He suddenly accused her, raising his own wand.

'Padfoot you idiot, of course she isn't a death eater, if she was, you'd be dead by now!' James voice called out from the room the two of them were standing outside of. He lowered his wand, but still eyed her suspiciously. She rolled her eyes in response.

'He's in there, if you need me, I'll be in the kitchen; just don't be too harsh on him.' Lily warned him, only adding to his confusion before she walked away. Going into the room, he could only gape at the sight that greeted him, that of his beaten and battered friend and motorbike in pieces scattered around.

'I'm so sorry Sirius, I had an accident. I'll make it up to you I promise, I'll fix it, just give me a bit more time-' James begged, unable to meet his friend's furious gaze, tears beginning to trickle down his face as his guilt and pain, both mental and physical caught up with him.

'JAMES ARISTIDE POTTER!' Sirius roared, absolutely livid, in the kitchen Lily winced as she heard this, not only for the chewing out James was about to receive, but also the terrible name he'd been cursed with. For a split second she considered going to calm them down, but she had a feeling this maybe exactly what Potter needed to hear, and Sirius wasn't that mad about the bike…

'What the hell do you think you're doing?' He demanded in a slightly lower voice, the tears only flowed faster on his friends face, breaking his heart.

'I'll fix it, I'm so sorry, I know how much the bike means to you-' Potter sobbed out, not even bothering to brush away the wetness on his face, his body trembling at the strain it was under.

'James, the bike is nothing compared to you, I couldn't care less about it. What I'm worried about is you.' James gaped at him. Striding across the room, Sirius sat beside the boy he called his brother, pulling him into his arms in a gentle hug so as not to injure him anymore, not caring that most boys didn't show this level of caring; but then again, when were Marauders like other people? 'James, you're my family, my brother, do you really think I would care about a bike more than you?'

'But you worked so hard at fixing it up and enchanting it, it meant the world to you and I ruined it,' the tears began again. Pulling him into his shoulder Sirius gently rubbed his back, trying to give him some comfort. Opening his mouth to reassure the boy, he suddenly became aware that the crying a shaking had stopped, he'd fallen asleep in his arms. A sad smile grew on his lips, had he really given the impression that James meant less to him than a bike? He would just have to correct this very forcefully as soon as he woke up.

Levitating his friend onto his bed, he pulled the blankets over him and removed his glasses, putting them on the table next to him before heading to the kitchen. He wanted some answers, and he wanted them now.

'Is he alright?' Lily asked, not looking up from where she was reading the Daily Prophet Sirius had left on the table when he came into the mansion.

'He's sleeping, what happened to him Evans?' Sirius questioned her coolly, although James had always liked Lily, the two of them had never really gotten along, Lily believing he was as arrogant and childish as Potter, and he believing she was stuck up. She sighed motioning for him to take a seat opposite her.

'Yesterday morning James turned up to my house in roughly the same shape as he's in today. Apparently he was in a motorcycle accident; the person in the car didn't look before changing lanes and hit him, so he was taken to a muggle hospital. I would have taken him to St Mungo's, but too many muggles know about him…'

'So they'd be suspicious if he suddenly turned up healed.' Sirius finished the sentence for her, understanding what she was telling him. She nodded before continuing.

'I believe he told me he's broken his arm and sprained that wrist, broken a few ribs, has an awful lot of stitches he needs to go back to hospital tomorrow to have removed, something he wasn't too sure about with his knee which is why he has the crutch and an assortment of bruises.' Sirius whistled in amazement at what had happened, feeling more and more guilty that it was his bike that had done this. 'It wasn't your fault,' Lily growled at him, 'if you even think about starting on the same guilt trip Potters been on I will personally hex you into next centaury!' This evoked a barking laugh from him, it was a threat she regularly made to the Marauders, their day didn't really start until they'd been threatened to be hexed somewhere!

'So why isn't he still at the hoptsatl?' Black demanded, looking serious, which unfortunately cracked Lily up at his mangling of the word hospital.

'Hospital, and he's here because he was afraid of you, that you wouldn't be his friend anymore because he broke your bike. Are you?' Her voice turned colder at the end of the sentence as she demanded the answer, after all the mental anguish James had been putting himself through since he'd turned up on the doorstep, Sirius had better not just ditch him. The other part of her brain argued back though, you've seen how close they are, do you honestly believe he'd leave him because of a bike?

'Am I what?'

'Going to stop being his friend?' Sirius shook his head emphatically, relieving her of the tension that was beginning to mount when he hadn't instantly denied the accusation.

'NO! How could you possibly think that! He's close enough to be my brother; it wasn't his fault, Merlin how did this get so messed up?' He groaned, banging his head on the table.

'Look, have some cereal,' she pushed a bowl forwards that she'd prepared earlier when the other teen had gone into see James. With the amount of hours he'd been putting into the bike and the medication he was on, she was pretty sure James wasn't going to last long, especially with the emotional strain, so she only made one bowls worth and not two. Seeing his amused but curious glance at her, she sheepishly explained the cereal; 'I haven't been able to figure out how to use a wizard's stove yet so it's all we've been eating for the last day.' Sirius had to chuckle at the smartest witch in the year not being able to figure out an object as simple as a stove, but accepted the cereal anyway, beginning to shovel as much as he could possibly fit in his mouth all at once.

'You do realise when he wakes up you'll have to get him to see he's more important?' she added while he was eating causing a serious expression to come over Sirius' face, a rare expression, as he nodded before his usual smiling face returned.

Putting down his spoon, he pushed the now empty bowl away from him.

'That has to have been the most disgusting sight of someone eating I've ever been forced to witness.' Evans commented; her face twisted in disgust, Sirius simply smiled in return.

'So, do you want to know the secret of the stove? We have some time before he'll wake up.' He tempted her, leading her over to the corner where it was located. 'You know, Mum's going to freak about this.' He commented casually as though talking about the weather and not about his friend's injuries.

'What am I going to freak about?' An older woman's voice demanded from the door.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show so please don't sue.**

**A/N: Summerlovin9191: Glad you enjoyed the chapter, hope this one is equally as good! Here's James' Mum...**

**Theo Darkstar: Who needs to know how to use all those things?! That's what Mum's are for!**

Turning around, the two of them saw an older lady with greying hair and a pair of glasses very similar to James' standing in the doorway. She was dressed in a dark pair of robes and had a small handbag on one shoulder.

'Mum!' Sirius greeted her, flying into her outstretched arms.

'Hello dear,' she returned the greeting, kissing him on top of his head, 'Oh is this your girlfriend? Hello dear, I'm Carla Potter, James and Sirius' mother; it's a pleasure to meet you.' Carla came over and swept her up in a hug that matched the force she'd given Sirius moments earlier.

'Oh no Mrs Potter, I'm not his girlfriend, just a friend. I'm Lily Evans.' The red head corrected her, not too sure how to act around this very friendly lady.

'Please dear, call me Carla, Mrs Potter makes me feel so old,' She instantly turned to the other teen in the room, 'and I'll have no smart comments from you mister!'

'How could you possibly think that I would imply you're old,' Sirius argued in mock outrage, before adding with a shrug of his shoulders, 'I mean it's obvious you're old!' He yelped as she swatted him around the head with her hand, Lily simply giggled at the display of obvious affection between the two of them.

'Now, what was it I'm going to freak about?' She asked sternly, looking between the two of them, her arms crossed and accepting nothing but the whole story from them.

'I think maybe you'd better sit down for this.' Lily suggested as she and Sirius sat back in the same chairs they had been sitting in a short while before.

Carla shot out of her seat and ran to the living room after getting the full story from the young woman, and Sirius who injected his own pieces in here and there. Letting out a sigh at the sight of her son, she choked back her tears at how close she had come to loosing her son.

Sitting on the bed, she gently brushed back his scruffy hair that had flopped over his face while cataloguing all the bruises, cuts and broken bones. Her heart sunk at the thought she could do nothing to ease his pain, as a Healer, this was the hardest task she'd ever been forced to face. Leaving him to sleep, she joined the two other teens outside the room, brushing away the few tears that had escaped her control.

'Thank you Lily for looking after him, I don't know what I would do if my two boy's were taken from me, they're all I have left.' Carla looked into Lily's eyes, her fear all too evident at the thought of loosing either James or Sirius. 'James' father died when he was 5, James was the only thing that kept me going. He brought me Sirius, my other son; I can't loose them, either of them.' She choked out; Sirius leant into her, giving her a hug in comfort.

'I'm not going anywhere Mum, promise.' Black reassured her, giving her a quick kiss on her cheek. Lily smiled at the affection once more, he seemed a completely different person to the arrogant, cocky boy she had been forced to endure at Hogwarts.

'I know you aren't, you're a good boy.' Sat this both Lily and Sirius snorted in amusement causing her to huff, although they could both see the twitches of a smile that threatened to bloom. 'Okay, you're good to me, although if you could reduce the amount of owls I receive for you two this year, I would be grateful.' She asked hopefully.

'But Mum!' Sirius whined in mock horror, 'it's James who leads me astray. I try to tell him no, but there's just no stopping him sometimes.' At this, both women looked at him, eyebrows raised in amusement and disbelief.

'Just try not to get caught quite so often, or at least, give me something to laugh at with your pranks.' Sirius laughed at this while Lily looked at her in shock, Carla winked at her. 'You aren't the only one who gets a laugh at them.'

'Hello? Lily? Sirius?' A small voice called from the living room, he sounded bleary from sleep. Carla darted inside, the others not too far behind. Going over to the bed, she helped her son sit up and put on his glasses while Lily and Sirius stayed nearer to the door.

'Mum?! You're home.' James looked carefully at her, surprised to see her back. Carla nodded before gently hugging him. 'I'm fine Mum, really.' She sighed at this attempt to comfort her.

'James, I already know exactly what's wrong, you don't need to pretend.' She told him softly, ruffling his hair up and making it look even messier than normal. Quite an achievement as it had already the look of bed hair.

'Mum!' James protested weakly, 'I'm fine, really; it may look bad, but I feel fine, just a little stiff.' The glare he received was enough to make most people back down, but James simply met it head on.

'Okay, you can keep telling yourself that, I'll be in the kitchen making lunch, I'm sure you're hungry, teenagers are always hungry.' Carla told them all as she stood up. Reaching up with his good arm, James pulled her towards him before kissing her cheek; Carla smiled and ruffled his hair again before going to the door and doing the same to Sirius. Bowing her head slightly, Lily slipped out and followed the older woman into the kitchen.

'Am I really that bad a friend?' Sirius asked as he meandered slowly to the bed before sitting down crossed legged in front of James. Prong's head shot up in shock.

'What are you talking about? I'm the one who-' Sirius cut him off mid sentence.

'Am I that bad a friend?' He posed the question again.

'No!' Was the immediate cry from the messy haired boy, 'you're a great friend!'

'Then why do you think I'd care more about my bike than you? How could you possibly think that?' Sirius demanded, his voice low but serious.

'Because it means so much to you! You're always going on about it, fixing it, tweaking it, and I broke it. I broke the one thing you've managed to pay for and do by yourself since you left That place, and I ruined it.' A few tears escaped once again. 'How could you possibly want to be friends with me after that?'

'Shut up, just shut up James.' Sirius demanded; using the boy's real name to show this was no joking matter. James flinched at the tone used. 'Yes, I love the bike, but you mean far more to me than a piece of metal. I can fix the bike, heck I can even buy a new one, but I can't replace you, I can't buy a new you if you die!' He paused, taking a deep breath in an attempt to control his own emotions and blinking away the tears that threatened to spill from his own eyes.

'I'm sorry.' James looked down, still not able to meet his brother's eyes.

'I know you are Prongs, I know you'd never do this on purpose. It was an accident, an accident for Merlin's sake, there is nothing for me to forgive you for, you did nothing wrong! Can you ever forgive me?' This got James' attention as his head jerked up in shock.

'What the hell for? You didn't do anything, you weren't even there!' Potter protested.

'No, I wasn't, but I also haven't been a good friend.' Seeing the argument that had sprung to his friends lips, he held up a hand to stop him. 'Let me finish, if I'd been a good friend, you'd have realised how much more you mean to me than a piece of metal. You would never have left that hopstal early and you'd be healing even quicker, with better pain medication, albeit not as good as Mungo's-'

'Padfoot, you're rambling.' James interrupted gently, bringing his good arm up and resting it on the other teens forearm.

'Just promise me you'll never do this again. Be the arrogant prat everyone thinks you are; believe you are the most important thing in everyone's world, cos Merlin only knows where I'd be without you.'

'What do you mean 'the arrogant prat everyone thinks I am'? I am an arrogant prat!' James queried with a small smile, eliciting a barking laugh from his friend.

'That you are; that you most certainly are, to other people at least. To us, you couldn't give more or be any more kind.' James gave a genuine smile at this, trying to hide his blush at the compliments. 'Aww, is little Jimmy blushing?' Sirius teased him, earning himself a snort and a light tap on the arm in retaliation.

'We good?' Prongs asked, pushing the joking aside for a few moments. Sirius smiled as he crawled forward and hugged his friend, be careful not to hurt him.

'Yeah, we're good.' He murmured into his friend, no, brothers ear. James relaxed and leant into the embrace, for the first time since the accident, feeling safe and relaxed.

'You two okay?' Carla asked, smiling as she and Lily turned around from the stove where they had been cooking. The two boys looked at each other and grinned; James was leaning heavily on his brother as Sirius held his crutch. Returning the stick to his scruffy haired friend, they let go of each other before stepping through the doorway and into the kitchen.

'Yeah, we're good.' The two of the chorused, sharing a meaningful look between them

'Aww, kissed and made up then?' Lily teased the two boys; she and James had quickly decided the day before to restart their entire relationship, and it was working as they could both tease each other mercilessly, only now, without the maliciousness that had previously been there.

'Actually, where's my kiss?' James turned to Sirius, mock outrage on his face. Playing along, Sirius spun to face his friend, batting his eyelashes.

'Well then, pucker up love.' He took a step forward but was batted away with James' stick. 'Spurned again, how about you Evans? Just a little kiss?' Potter glared at him, but Carla and Lily laughed at the two boys' exchange.

'Not a chance Black. But,' she paused dramatically before making her announcement, 'Carla's been teaching me how to use the stove, so now we have warm cereal!' She announced cheerfully, enjoying the shocked faces on the other teens. Carla simply laughed.

'Please, anything but more cereal! I'm begging you!' James pleaded, only causing the two women to laugh harder. 'I think we've missed out on a good Marauder.' Prongs commented wryly.

'I have a feeling you're right.' Sirius agreed with a weary sigh before helping his friend to a seat in the kitchen and the two women handed out the soup they'd been cooking.

It looked like things were going to be okay now Lily thought, greatly relieved, and maybe, just maybe, things were going to get better from now on…


	7. Chapter 6

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show so please don't sue.**

**A/N: Theo Darkstar: Don't worry, I've still a few more chapters to go yet! **

**Summerlovin9191: Glad you're enjoying it so much, I hope this lives up to your expectations!**

The last of the bowls were scraped clean causing most of the occupant of the house to sigh as they felt full. Leaning back gently, James watched the rest of his family and Lily wash the utensils up, having being forbidden from moving from his seat, an action he was very unused to. If there was anything to be done, no matter how menial or dirty it was, he was willing to do it, mostly to keep his hands busy but also as it gave him time to think, a trait his mum told him was from his father.

'Lily dear, would you like to spend the night here again, you're very welcome to, we can even find you a bed, ' Carla offered, 'it has to be much more comfortable than trying to sleep on that wretched sofa!' The lady gave a wry smile before adding, 'it may look nice but it sure is hell on the back. I've lost count how many times James and I have fallen asleep on that thing.' Her smile turned softer as she remembered when James was a lot younger and often fell asleep on her lap as the two of them sat on that seat in the evenings as she read to him. A mischievous smile crossed Sirius' lips that instantly sent Lily onto high alert; she'd been on the end of far too many pranks to relax when he looked like that.

'I don't suppose you've got any nice stories about James when he was younger, any involving much embarrassment for him preferably.' Sirius asked as innocently as possible causing Lily to relax and Carla to chuckle while James spluttered from his seat, his good arm wrapped securely around his chest.

'I assure you Padfoot; I did absolutely nothing embarrassing when I was a child!' James protested which only resulted in a few raised eyebrows sent in his direction.

'So I suppose you aren't at all embarrassed about the time you streaked through a ministry ball where all the high officials were, including the head of the Auror department, Healers and Minister of Magic were?' Carla replied nonchalantly; Sirius and Lily laughed at this while James blushed furiously.

'I was 3!' You're never going to let me live that one down are you?' He asked with a weary sigh. His mother shook her head.

'They still ask after you whenever I'm there,' she added with an innocent voice that Lily recognised from the other Potter, 'I got asked this time in fact, the Minister of Magic was asking me if you'd finally decided clothing was necessary yet, so I told him we were still working on it.' The grey haired lady recounted the experience, enjoying every shade of the blush.

'They really do need lives if that's all they can remember! Must be the only excitement they ever got at one of those things!' the scruffy haired boy grumbled much to everyone's amusement.

'Don't worry dear,' Carla reassured him as she ruffled up his hair, a gesture Lily realised James must copy at school to remind him of what his mother normally did. 'I'm sure if you ever want to be an Auror they won't mention it too often, I mean it wasn't as though the _entire_ department was there, just 99!' James growled at this, but it didn't deter his mother from continuing, 'and you know it's only Alastor Moody who interviews people and it wasn't as though he was the one who picked you up and returned you to me!' She finally finished with a wicked grin.

'Thanks Mum, you really know how to make me feel better.' James told her dryly, doing his best to glare at the other two teens who still hadn't stopped their chuckling.

'No fear Prongs, I'll still respect you, after all, how many people can say they've streaked in the Ministry of Magic in front of all those important people!' Sirius finished with more guffaws of laughter. James glowered at him and for once was cross that his friend wasn't close enough to hit him, or at least him being well enough to teach him a lesson, and so settled for a rude gesture instead.

'I wouldn't be so hasty in your mockery my dear son,' Carla gently scolded her other son as she put an arm around him, 'I seem to remember another story that is passed around quite about.' The lady hinted piquing the interest of the other two, who watched in amusement as Black turned the same colour James had only minutes before.

'C'mon Mum, it's only fair you tell us!' James encouraged her as Sirius shook his head violently.

'Well, I believe when Sirius was about 15 months old, he was given to the Minister of Magic to be held, and in those few minutes was so nervous he had a slight-' she paused for a second as she tried to find the right word; Sirius on the other hand buried his head in her shoulder, turn about was fair play, but he knew if he tried to interrupt he'd be silenced. 'Bladder weakness, I don't believe the Minister held another child after that.' She finished, joining in on the laughter that bellowed in the room. This was certainly shocking to Lily; while she knew they were only children at the time, it was still funny to see that the two most popular guys had done such embarrassing things when they were younger, it made them seem...more human to her, rather than the faces they showed off to the rest of the world. Maybe they aren't so bad, Lily thought to herself, slightly shocked she'd even think that, but it was true, these were the real people, not the arrogant boys they normally allowed people to see.

'Okay, now that I've sufficiently humiliated my boys,' Carla began after the laughter had finally stopped, her arm still around Sirius' waist as he hid his very red face, 'what do you say about the room dear?' She asked Lily.

'Umm, well, since you're home I was going to go home as well. I'm not really needed around here anymore…' she trailed off, feeling slightly awkward being there, it was obviously a very tight knit family and it left her feeling as though she was an outsider who was barging in on them.

'Oh please, don't leave on my account! James will be inside all of this summer' at this she gave a very pointed look at her son, who sighed and looked down, 'so I was planning to get as many people here as possible to entertain him!'

This was going to be a _very_ long summer at this rate James realised if he wasn't allowed to go out at all; at least it would most likely only be the Marauders his Mum would invite since most of the other purebloods his Mum knew from work he wasn't really that keen on, no matter how friendly he acted around them.

'C'mon Lily, it'll be great to have you here.' James added; Sirius remained silent though, although the two of them hadn't argued yet, it was only a matter of time. He didn't like the red head, he only saw her as stuck up who enjoyed making the Marauders lives as miserable as possible. He never could figure out why Remus was friends with her, or why his best friend fancied her so much.

Reluctantly, Lily nodded not missing out on the fact Sirius hadn't said a word although the look on his face said more than enough. That was going to be a problem Lily realised, if she did become friends with James, she needed to be friends with all of the Marauders, there was no way she could pick and choose, especially seeing how close they are. This was just going to have to be one of those things she worked on. 'Okay, but I've got to fire call my Mum to make sure it's alright.' Carla nodded in understanding and took her over to the livingroom fireplace where she found some more floo powder for her leaving the two boys alone n the kitchen.

'C'mon Jimmy, let's get you back to bed.' Sirius offered his friend a hand up as he watched James yawn for the fourth time in the past five minutes. James rolled his eyes in protest, but accepted the hand as well as the walking stick.

'I'm not an invalid, and I've been sleeping way too much today, it feels as though every few minutes I'm being sent to sleep!' James snapped before giving an apologetic smile, but even the tone his friend used barely fazed Black, he'd seen all the medication Prongs was on, and it was enough to make anyone tired and irritable.

'Of course you aren't sleeping too much, now lets get you into bed.' He repeated himself, steering his annoyed friend from the kitchen in the same direction the two women had disappeared to earlier.

'I hope you realise you have to take me on at least one date before you get me into bed!' James mentioned blandly, enjoying the spluttering it caused the other boy to make.

'I'm very happy for you two, but no sex while I'm in the house, either of you is injured or in any room but your bedroom.' Carla told them seriously as she overheard her sons comment. James and Sirius blushed slightly, but nowhere near to the extent they had done earlier.

'I'm so sorry Mum; I'll just take Jimmy upstairs then to bed him, how 'bout it love?' Sirius flirted outrageously to which James simply smiled as though used to these over the top comments.

'As much as I'm enjoying this bantering, can I please sit down, I'm not too sure how long I'm going to remain upright at this point.' Potter finally turned serious, studying him more closely, she could see how pale and shaky he'd become. Going over to Sirius, Lily helped him get the teen back into his bed while Carla got some more of his medication to help ease his suffering. Seeing how close Sirius and James were, Lily left the room to give them some privacy; while they may not be dating, they were certainly the closest friends she'd ever seen, far closer than she was with her friends.

'Get some sleep Prongs, I'll still be here when you wake.' Sirius told his friend, not really noticing they were the only ones in the room at that point, as he saw the panic starting in James' eyes and felt how tightly he was gripping his tee shirt.

This is ridiculous! James berated himself for showing yet another weakness, while he knew Sirius wouldn't mind, he still felt embarrassed. Sirius isn't going to change his mind over the next few hours, he told himself sternly, and finally released his grip on Padfoot's tee shirt, accepting his brother's reassurances.

'Here you go dear,' Carla's voice interrupted the comfortable silence that had descended. Giving the water to Sirius she handed her son he tablets one at a time before Sirius gave the water to help ease them down. Another yawn escaped from the injured boy as he lay down, before slipping into another deep sleep. Sirius removed the boys glasses before using the same spell Lily had used to remove his clothes, placing them on the sofa nearby.

Leaving the room, Carla hugged her adopted her adopted son allowing him to rest his head against her, the days events finally catching up with the both of them. Finally pulling away, Sirius could easily see Mrs Potter looking much older then normal; lines that weren't normally there were gradually getting deeper.

'He'll be fine, you'll see.' Sirius comforted her; Carla gave a small smile before giving him a small smile.

'I think I'll go and have a small nap as well, the time difference is finally catching up with me.' Kissing him on the forehead, she went back to the kitchen to tell Lily where she was going. Sirius stood by the doorway to the livingroom, watching until Carla had disappeared upstairs before going into the room, setting up some silencing charms around Prong's bed, and starting work on his bike. At least doing it this way he could keep an eye out for his friend.

He'd barely started when Lily joined him. Walking silently into the room, she sat down beside him, taking her wand and going to work on a different area to where he was working. He looked over to her, shocked.

'What are you doing Evans?' He asked, finally getting some words out.

'Helping,' she answered simply, before looking slightly unsure, 'unless you don't want me to?' Sizing her up, he couldn't see any hidden motives but he was suspicious none the least.

'Why? Was the first question that popped out before adding onto it, 'do you know anything about motorbikes?' His face was sceptical.

'My-' she paused for a second, after not telling anyone about her Dad for so long, apart from her closest friends, it seemed to be coming up a lot in the last few days. Taking a deep breath she started again. 'My Dad was a mechanic and I used to help him.' Sirius decided not to press the matter, simply offering a simple nod that he had understood. She gave a weak grin before carrying on. 'And as for why, well…James and I actually became friends over the last few days, I mean we still have a way to go before we're close or anything like that, but we aren't arguing. But this means we can't be enemies.'

Sirius raised an eyebrow at this. 'Oh; and why would that be Evans?'

'Because you and James are practically brothers; I don't think I've ever seen closer friends, but if we didn't get along, we'd only be putting James in the middle, which is unfair to him.' She stopped and watched the different emotions and thoughts flicker over the other boys face.

'Okay,' Sirius reluctantly agreed. He knew how much James loved the girl, and if he was the one who messed it up after his friend's hard work in trying to get Lily to like him, he probably wouldn't forgive himself, nor would James forgive him. Besides, where would the harm be in getting to know the girl a little more, by September she'd probably be back to yelling at them anyway, he thought.

'So, Sirius,' she tried out his name for the first time, 'do you mind me giving you a hand?'

'Of course not Lily, it may give us a chance to get to know one another,' Black suggested, figuring this would be the best time to start their 'friendship'. Lily nodded in approval before going back to what she was doing when she came in the room.

'Are you staying the night?' Sirius asked; realising if she was the only female clothing in the house belonged to Mrs Potter. Lily shook her head.

'My sister is getting married soon so I have to get up early tomorrow morning to go looking for bridesmaids dresses,' she grimaced at the thought of it.

'That good!' Sirius exclaimed with a slight chuckle. 'Will you be here in the afternoon to help us take James to the Hopstal?' He looked slightly embarrassed at what he was about to say next, 'I mean, all of us are Purebloods, not that there's anything wrong with Muggleborns of course,' he quickly defended himself, 'but none of us know much about Muggles and their weird medicine stuff.' Lily giggled at the fact they didn't know such simple things as what a hospital was called nor what to do there.

'I'll tell my Mum I have to help you, she'll understand. I think I only have to be there for the morning anyway,' Lily managed to get out, doing her best to keep her face straight while Sirius huffed at being laughed at.

Moving the conversation onto Lily's sister, as well as her upcoming marriage, the two of them worked peacefully until the late evening when Lily had to go.

After she left, Sirius brought his own bed downstairs and set it up next to James', making sure he kept his promise (and also making sure he took down the silencing charm!). Stripping down to his boxers, he placed the rest of his clothing next to James' and climbed into his bed.

In his sleep, James felt as though a peaceful presence was nearby, he smiled before falling back into the deep sleep he'd been drifting out of. Everything was fine now.

'Night Prongs.' Sirius whispered; making sure he didn't wake him, before blowing out the candles that lit the room and gradually fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 7

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show so please don't sue.**

**A/N: Eek! Couldn't believe how long this chapter turned out, it's actually longer than some of my one-shots! Oh well, hope it was worth the wait!**

**Summerlovin9191: I did my best with updating quickly, but it seems the chapter just ran away from me.**

**Popping Corn: Glad to know your rant is over! The summary was about the fourth attempt, but at your request I spent another half hour changing it! Hope its better now anyway! I'm glad you're enjoying the story, just hope I can keep it up to people's expectations!**

**Theo Darkstar: I'm really enjoying the relationship between Sirius and James, I feel there are far too few fics that mostly look at their friendship. **

Wincing as his feet touched the carpet; James steadied himself using the bed as he got up, his knee still not able to support his weight, no matter how tightly it was strapped. Still dressed only in his boxers, he stumbled over to the sofa where his clothes were, managing to pull on his glasses, and allowing the room to come back into focus. Gently lowering himself onto the sofa, he downed the tablets that had been left there, before jumping as a voice spoke from the doorway.

'Prongsie! You're up!' Sirius' bouncy voice startled him.

'Don't you ever knock? I could have been naked or something!' Potter scolded his friend while giving a very ineffective glare; Sirius simply snorted and smiled more as he walked over, shutting the door behind him before pulling a chair over and sitting in front of the scruffy teen.

'Like you're one to worry about modesty? The person who stripped naked on his first night at Hogwarts when he went to bed!' Sirius reminded him with amusement; James merely shrugged.

'It's the principle!' was his friend's response.

'Of course it is,' Sirius mockingly agreed before studying his friend a bit more, the bruises, stitches and bandages a lot more noticeable when he wasn't wearing clothing over the top of them. James shivered under the scrutiny, as well as the cool draft that all large houses seemed to have. A look of guilt and sorrow seemed to come over Sirius' face as he stared, James remained silent, allowing his friend to see all the injuries for a few minutes before deciding the boy had dwelled on it for far too long. Gently reaching over, he lifted Sirius's chin upwards so their eyes met, allowing James to see all the guilt his brother felt.

'It wasn't your fault.' James reminded him as he lowered his good arm, it was too much of a strain on his ribs to keep it there too long.

'And it wasn't yours either.' Sirius told him, equally as forcefully before changing the subject. 'When was the last time you bathed?'

'What?' Potter looked stunned and slightly confused at the sudden change of subject.

'Bathing, in other words taking a shower or bath, using water to make yourself clean and generally less smelly.'

'Ha ha, you really are a prat you know that?' Prongs retorted sarcastically. 'I meant where did that come from?'

'Well,' he dragged the word out as he sat up slightly in he chair so as not to fall off as he slumped down, 'either you really need to wash as you'll stink out the hopstal, or Lily helped you, in which case, details please!'

'Lily did not help me!' James exclaimed causing Sirius to give a fake pout in disappointment. 'And you're right, I would like to shower,' he added, resignedly.

'I think you'll probably have to make do with a bath, unless your knee has miraculously fixed itself and you've become able to run a marathon overnight!' James snorted in amusement.

'I think I'd settle for being able to stand up on it,' Prongs muttered, somewhat despondently. He was far too active to enjoy any type of injury, but his legs were something he relied on most as he enjoyed running as well as Quidditch; although that was most arms as he was a chaser. Just one more reason to be bitter about his broken arm and sprained wrist he mused darkly, glaring at the cast and strappings.

'Oh no you don't! Stop that line of thought right there or I get Mum to help you with your bath, or worse still; Lily!' Spotting the familiar signs of a dark mood coming on, Sirius headed it off effectively with a usual threat, causing Potter to jerk out of his thoughts, his face twisted in disgust at the very thought of that!

'So: a bath then?' Prongs brought the conversation back to the original question; Sirius nodded.

'D'you need a hand?' James raised his eyebrows.

'Washing myself? I think I have the hang of it by now Padfoot.' Sirius rolled his eyes.

'I meant getting upstairs and running the bath.'

'Oh,' unable to meet his brother's eyes, James nodded. Being a normally independent person, he hated people waiting on him, preferring to do all that was possible himself, another way of his to burn off some of the extra energy he normally found himself with.

'James, there are times in everyone's lives when we need help. You don't have to be ashamed, it isn't weakness, in fact it's a strength sometimes. It show's you're mature enough to let others help instead of foolishly thinking you can do everything on your own.' Black for one of the few occasions lived up to his name, repeating the same actions James had done earlier, forcing the other teen to meet his grey eyes. 'I leant on you quite a lot that summer I ran away from home, now lean on me, let me return the gesture.'

'You don't have to-' James started to protest but was cut off swiftly.

'I want to.' Those three words stopped all protests that had been lined up.

After handing over a simple robe Sirius had brought into the room with him, the two of them made their way up one flight of stairs, albeit _very_ slowly, to the bathroom. Sitting the injured boy down on the toilet lid, Sirius began to run the bath, adding in a vast quantity of bubbles much to James' amusement.

'Got enough bubbles in there?' He teased the grey eyed boy, who decided to settle the argument maturely; he stuck out his tongue. When the bath was finished, he turned off the taps before speaking and casting a spell over all of the bandages, the cast and stitches to make sure they repelled water, so it wouldn't get wet.

'Do you need any help getting in?' Padfoot asked, eyeing up how high the sides of the bath was, and there was nothing on the wall for him to hang onto.

'I'll be fine, just sit on the side, swing my legs over and in, now go, have some breakfast,' came the exasperated retort. Sirius didn't look convinced, but went as James made shooing signs with his hands.

'I'll be outside, just holler if you need anything.'

'Some privacy and a pee.' James muttered under his breath; that was unfortunately heard by his friend, who gave a barking laugh as he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

The warm water soothed his tense and aching muscles and bruises, but all too soon it seemed to him the water was turning cold, there weren't any bubbles left and his fingers were like prunes. Looking over at the small clock on the shelf across the room, he realised he'd been there for the best part of an hour. Giving a sigh, he realised he'd better get out, he was slightly hungry now as it was getting on towards nine o clock, the time his mother normally had breakfast ready by, and so would be yelling for her two boys any time soon.

Grabbing hold of the edge of the bath, he gently began to lift himself out using his one good arm, before gasping in pain at the pressure it put on his ribs and knee, forcing him to drop back into the tub with a splash.

Gritting his teeth, he turned slightly so his back was towards the wall before trying again, this time using the wall to help him slide up, but once again his knee wouldn't hold causing him to fall once more, only this time causing him to land a little harder, forcing a yelp out of him. Taking in deep breaths, he blinked away the tears that threatened, instead slapping the water in frustration.

'James? You alright mate?' Sirius' worried voice came through the door.

'I'm fine, just go and have breakfast; I'll be there in a minute.' James called back, he refused to be forced to ask his friend to help him out of the bath, that was just one humiliating situation too many. There was a deep sigh from his friend telling him Sirius knew he was lying. The two of them never could lie to one another; there was always something n their expression that told the other they weren't telling the truth, it had just never occurred to him it stretched to when they couldn't see each other.

'James, just tell me the truth, are you alright?' Padfoot asked him wearily, he knew how much James hated others to wait on him, but he needed to realise when to accept help Sirius thought to himself, doing his best not to get angry at being lied to.

Curling up to the side of the bath, facing away from the door, he wrapped his arms around his body and closed his eyes before answering. 'I can't get out of the bath.' James replied dully. The door opened a few minutes later and his dark haired friend stepped into the bathroom.

Placing the clean tee shirt, jeans and boxers onto the floor, he grabbed one of the large fluffy towels from the rack by the door before opening it out.

'James,' Padfoot called gently, but his stubborn friend refused to look at him. 'James, look at me, remember what we talked about this morning about accepting help, this is one of those times.' The grey eyed teen sighed as James didn't seem to move, and so walked over, with the towel still in his hand and sat on the edge of the bath before carefully pulling him away from the wall and forcing him to meet his gaze.

'It's such a simple task, just getting out of a bath, but I can't even manage that on my own,' James complained bitterly, furiously wiping away a tear that escaped.

'Oh James,' Sirius sighed once again, loosing count of how many times he had done that this morning as he hugged his wet brother, not caring that he was naked nor causing him to get wet. 'You'll get better, it's not as though it's permanent. Look at it this way; this is the only time you will _ever_ get me to wait on you hand and foot, so enjoy it while you can.' This got a laugh from the shivering boy as he lent into the warmth of his friend as he reluctantly nodded.

'Alright, now help me out, I'm frozen!' James finally agreed, pulling back as Sirius got up and returned with the towel before sizing up the situation. Raising an eyebrow, James watched the intense look on his friends face, blushing slightly as he realised he was completely naked and so tried to cover himself.

'I think after you stripping in the dorm for the last 6 years as well as us being the same gender means you really have nothing I haven't seen before!' Sirius told him with a smirk at his friend's attempts before placing the towel onto the sink, which fortunately was dry, before placing one arm around James' waist and the other against the wall to brace himself. Together, the two of them managed to stand up before Sirius allowed James to lean heavily on him as he stepped out of the tub and over to the sink where he could rest his weight. Wrapping the towel around himself, James gave a grateful smile.

'Thanks Paddy,' James told him affectionately before making shooing signs with his hands, 'now scat so I can get dressed!' Laughing, Sirius did as he was told.

'You know where I'll be!' Was all Sirius said, before chuckling again as he could have sworn he heard the phrase over-protective mangy mutt being muttered.

Finally dressed, although not without a few muttered curses, James finally walked out of the bathroom, his walking stick still by his side; Sirius smiled, a true smile, not a smirk or his usual mischievous you-know-I'm-up-to-something smile but a true one that Prongs had done so much on his own.

'Shall we?' Sirius offered an arm as though they were about to go to a ball or fancy party, getting a grin from the other boy who allowed his bad arm to rest on top of Sirius' outstretched one.

Walking into the kitchen, they separated and sat next to one another, digging into the scrambled eggs and sausages.

'Morning boys, had a good nights sleep?' Carla greeted them with a smile as she watched them starting on her cooking. Although she could have had a house elf, she'd decided she wanted to do the cooking and cleaning herself when James was younger so she could keep busy. After her husband died, the habits never died and so she still cooked breakfast whenever she could, which wasn't as often as she wanted to, as well as the evening meal, leaving it up to James and Sirius to make themselves something whenever they felt hungry at lunchtime.

'Yeah, I slept fine.' Sirius told her in between mouthfuls.

'Me too, don't even feel too bad this morning either.' James added, leaving out some of the difficulties he'd had, but it was true, he did feel slightly better. He looked back at the plate and his sausages, he'd managed to eat the eggs without any problems, but he had no idea how he was going to cut them up. Before he said a word, Sirius had switched plates with him, the only difference being the sausages on his plate were already cut up. Giving him a grateful smile, James finished off his breakfast while Carla tried to keep the smile off her face at how well her two boys were coping with the situation.

'Hey, where's Lily?' James suddenly realised he hadn't seen the red head at all that morning.

'She had to go home, something about bridesmaid dress shopping but she'll be back this afternoon to help when we go to the hopstal.' Sirius explained as he cleared up the plates and put them in the sink where the scrubbing brush washed them and flung them into the correct cupboards. James smiled at the thought of seeing the girl he loved later, but quickly covered it up before getting up, little knowing Carla had already seen the grin and was immediately mentally making plans for the wedding.

Heading back into the livingroom, Sirius once more sat in front of the bike, most of it already finished leaving only a few bits left to fix. Sitting beside the dark haired boy, James picked up a different piece, only to have it swiftly removed from his fingers.

'Oh no you don't Jim; you are not touching this bike for quite a while.' Padfoot scolded him, causing James to instantly look down into his lap, keeping his eyes lowered. He'd lost Sirius' trust; stupid! His mind shouted scathingly, of course he isn't going to trust you with his precious bike; you broke it once so who says you won't mess it up again? Seeing the dejected look on Prong's face, Sirius instantly berated himself for his stupidity in how he phrased it. 'James, I trust you, okay, I just want you to get well, not messing about with the bike. I'll be fine doing it on my own, Lily and I got quite a bit done yesterday so really there isn't a lot left to do. C'mon, I'll do it tomorrow.' Black helped James to his feet and guided him over to his bed before the two of them sat in the middle of it, preparing to talk.

'You really mean it, you trust me, even after all of-' Sirius cut James off, seeing where the argument was going.

'James Aristide Potter, you did nothing wrong so get over this guilt trip! You did nothing wrong and you never lost my trust, believe me, when you have, you'll know about it.' Was the exasperated argument shot back at the injured boy, causing him to give a small smile.

'Thanks Paddy, that means a lot to me,' James told him softly before a disgusted face graced his features 'but could you please stop using that _dreadful_ name! It's bad enough you guys know it, imagine if Lily or the school found out!' Sirius cleared his throat at this.

'Er…Lily may have heard me shouting it yesterday when I first got back.' Sirius replied sheepishly, James groaned, placing his head in his hands.

'May have heard or did hear?'

'Did hear; but I did explain later nearly all purebloods have unusual names, you were just lucky it was your middle name, not both of your names,' Black casually stated, thinking of his own names, Sirius Orion, not exactly the most common of names that was for sure.

'Suppose, now,' the usual James Potter mischievous grin spread over his face, 'please do tell me about this conversation you had with Lily, tell me everything, including full stops, commas and exclamation points! Especially since you now seem to be calling her Lily instead of Evans.' The two of them lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling above them as the chatted, going over the conversation Sirius and Lily had shared before moving onto other topics.

All too soon, the two boys had finished the lunch Carla had brought through and the doorbell was ringing. Staying as they had all morning, lying on the bed, the waited until the door to the livingroom was opened and a familiar voice reached their ears.

'I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised to see you haven't moved from where your mum said you'd be, but you two lying still all day, that's something I'm sure Remus would like to see more often.'

'Nice to see you too Lily!' Sirius commented as he sat up before helping James to do the same. Lily rolled her eyes at the sarcasm.

'Thank you Sirius, glad to know you think so too,' the red head deliberately ignored the sarcasm with a grin on her face causing Sirius to roll his eyes.

'I'm taking it you're here to help us to the hopstal?' James asked, ignoring the banter between his two friends. Sirius had explained about them trying to get along, so figured it would be best not to irritate either one of them, nor mock their fights in case it all fell to pieces. Lily gave a small sigh at them getting the names wrong, again before nodding.

'I believe you said your appointment was for in two hours, so if figured it may be good to get their slightly early.'

'You just want to get out of trying on brides maids dresses!' James teased her, smirking along with Sirius when she blushed slightly and shrugged her shoulders in a casual way, trying not to reveal too much.

'Is your Mum coming?' Lily changed the subject, not wishing to relieve the horrors she'd been forced to endure that morning.

'I think so, yeah, part of her I think wants to see how muggles heal people and the other part is because she's too worried to let me out of the house without her.' James explained, not that he could blame his mum for her over protectiveness of him, after all, she was her only biological son, even if she did now have Sirius as another child. Lily nodded in understanding while Sirius placed a hand on James' shoulder in support, he could see how hard the rest of the holidays were going to be if Carla was going to be that over protective of him.

'Oh good, you're all ready to go,' Carla exclaimed as she bustled into the living room, handing out floo powder to everyone, much to their amusement.

'Erm, Mrs Potter, it's a muggle hospital so we can't floo in.' Lily told the older lady awkwardly, uneasy correcting a lady she barely knew. Carla looked surprised for a moment before blushing slightly at her mistake as she passed around a pot to return the powder. 'I was thinking maybe we could take the Knight Bus since it should be able to drop us off nearby,' the red head suggested timidly, not too sure how Mrs Potter was going to react being told what to do by a 17 year old. To her surprise, Carla nodded.

'That sounds like an excellent idea,' Mrs Potter congratulated her before herding them out of the door, admittedly slowly due to James, but still making good time.

* * *

This was a mistake Lily realised as the three of them entered the lift. Trying to get the purebloods to enter a small box that took deposited people onto another floor took a lot of convincing, but after seeing the 'magic', Sirius and James had begged to ride it again and again and again… Fortunately Carla had put her foot down after the third floor they arrived on as their appointment was very soon.

The appointment itself went quite well luckily, if you ignored the fact the three of them stared at all the different machines that were around, asking questions about everything from a stethoscope to a defibrillator.

'Okay Mr Potter, lets have a look at your knee then,' the old Doctor asked as he pulled back James' trousers and examining it. 'Hmm, probably another 7 weeks before I'd recommend physiotherapy for it to regain its strength, but until then use it moderately. Your ribs will be very painful for quite a while yet, I would say about a month before they're mostly healed but there may still be pain for a while after. Your arm is doing well, the cast should come off in about 6 weeks so all in all, a good assessment Mr Potter,' the Doctor concluded after finishing removing the stitches. James looked slightly relieved that as soon as he went back to Hogwarts he could take the potions that would have most of his injuries fixed in seconds, but unfortunately, until then he was stuck on the medication from the hospital.

'That's lovely Doctor,' Carla commented, 'the boarding school James goes to will be able to sort out the physiotherapy and keep an eye on him for pain and things.' She added, only stumbling slightly over the unfamiliar terms but fortunately got them correct. It would have been very difficult to explain why they knew nothing about the terms he'd just spoken, and instead having to guess that physiotherapy was something that would help his knee.

The Doctor nodded before writing out another prescription for the pain medication. 'I'd like to see you again when we take off the cast, just to check that everything has healed correctly, so if you could come back on the 30th August we can sort everything out. The prescription I've given you will be sufficient to last you until then.' Getting off the bed, James took the piece of paper, looking at it curiously while taking his stick from Sirius who had been holding it for the examination. There had been the option for everyone to wait outside while he was being examined, but James refused on the grounds Carla wanted to see what was being done to her son and Lily was there for translations as his knowledge of the Muggle world was limited at the best of times, but medicine was even worse. Sirius had managed to come in as James decided it wasn't fair that everyone else came in and he didn't, not to mention at least then everyone could keep an eye on him causing trouble instead of being left unsupervised.

Standing outside the room where James had just been examined, Lily studied the prescription to see what they would need.

'So Lily, what exactly does this piece of paper do?' James asked as he, Carla and Sirius looked at it from different angles as though the drugs were going to pop out of it at any second.

'It's a prescription. You take it along to the pharmacy, hand it over and in return they give you the tablets written on here.' She explained, trying to remind herself they had never seen one before.

'Wow!' Sirius looked amazed at this while the Potters looked quite impressed. 'A little piece of paper does all that? So if I wrote what I wanted onto a piece of paper they would give me anything that was written on it?' Lily sighed; of course Sirius had make things more complicated.

'No, it has to be written by the Doctor and they only store certain types of drugs, nothing else.' Sirius looked disappointed.

'Well that sucks, I was really hoping for some Chocolate Frogs.' There really was no answer to that the red head decided as she followed the signs to the pharmacy; James on the other hand simply rolled his eyes at his friend's obliviousness.

'So are these drugs free then?' James asked as they got neared to their destination; Lily nodded.

'You're under 18 and in full time education so they're free but if it was your Mum who was hurt then it would cost money, unless of course it she was going to be on them for the rest of her life, I think that was it anyway.' She seemed to be doing a lot of explaining today Lily realised, maybe she ought to go into teaching she mused, certainly do well in Muggle Studies!

Going over to the counter, James handed over the prescription while he and Sirius took note of every action the Pharmacist took in getting the tablets, enjoying every second much to Lily and Carla's amazement at how they could enjoy such an everyday task.

The ride back to the manor was more subdued as James fell asleep onto Sirius' shoulder, the events of the day catching up with him, not to mention it was evening already. The bus made one extra stop to allow Lily off at home since she was needed there, before finally arriving back at their home.

Sirius gently shook the sleeping boy. A groan escaped James' lips as he slowly awoke, and the pain from his ribs flared slightly; must be almost time for another dose he realised as he tried to focus on what was going on around him. 'Wha'?' He managed to get out as he blindly looked around; finally remembering he was on the Knight Bus.

'We're home.' Sirius reminded him as his friend lifted his head from his shoulder; Sirius instantly rolled his shoulder in an attempt to get rid of the stiffness, causing James to give an apologetic smile when he realised he'd created the problem.

'Sorry 'bout that,' James ducked his head in embarrassment as he got up and limped his way to the front of the bus with the rest of his family, remembering to thank the drivers.

'Hey, don't worry about it, if I minded playing pillow I'd have knocked you off hours ago!' Sirius told him mock seriously causing James to laugh before smiling at how lucky he was to have a friend like Sirius.

Stepping into the Manor, Carla forced the two boys onto the livingroom while she made dinner for them, making it easier on James as he would have to do far less walking and moving. Sitting down on the bed, a sudden thought struck Sirius.

'Hey Jim, have you owled Peter or Remus about what happened?' James shook his head and instantly felt guilty he hadn't thought of doing so beforehand.

'Pete's in Switzerland with his parents so it may take Porky a few days to get there, but Remus is home.' James remembered, listing where each of them were for the summer holidays. 'Damn, I should have thought of it earlier, but then that would have only worried them and-' Sirius cut off James' ramble with a roll of his eyes.

'James, don't worry about it, it's not as though there's been much time to write. Tell you what, I'll write and tell them later tonight and send your Owl to Remus and mine to Peter.' Padfoot offered. His Owl, Sparky was a lot faster than James' (Porky) so it would halve the time the owl would be away as well as get the message there quicker. Prongs nodded reluctantly, the small nap on the bus hadn't really helped much, leaving him feeling very tired. He would probably drop off immediately after he'd eaten and so the letters would still not get written to another day.

* * *

Looking over at his sleeping friend, Sirius began the letters, one to each of the Marauders explaining everything that had happened over the previous few days, leaving out the bath incident but remembering to include the parts about Lily. He knew Remus would definitely be interested in those parts seeing how he was friends with the red head already.

Finally finishing a while later, he gave the instructions to each owl before going to bed himself, deciding it would be best to stay in the same room as James for another night. Closing his eyes, he wondered what tomorrow could possibly bring that would measure up to the events of the previous few days. He just hoped it was something good, there was no way he could cope with another scare like the one James had given him when he first got home; although one good point was becoming better friends with Lily, Remus was right, as usual, she wasn't too bad.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show so please don't sue.**

**A/N: Summerlovin9191: Well here is the chapter. It did take slightly longer since I was away for a bit, but hopefully the extra length will make up for it! Thank you for your review, you were the only one for the last chapter!**

The response from Remus and Peter had been immediate. The next morning, Remus had floo-ed in, prepared with a lecture on how to call when accidents like this happened before giving him a hug that would have been a lot harder if James was feeling better, but settled for making it longer to convey his worries. Being in Switzerland meant Peter couldn't see James until late August when they returned, and so got three Owls to carry what must have been a pound of Swiss chocolate in the hopes it would have good healing qualities. The other Marauders, Carla and Lily had been impressed, and so instantly began work on the sweets with James' claim they all needed healing, and there was no way without being very ill he would ever be able to finish all of it!

It had been a few weeks since the accident, and with Lily and Remus' visits as well as Peters letters, James was gradually getting better. The pain had lessened, his bruises were almost gone and he was awake for a lot longer, the tablets making him a lot less drowsy, but that wasn't to say Carla was letting James out of her sight too much. Other than the hospital visit, the only time he was allowed to leave the house was to sit on the swing outside in the back garden. Although it had irritated him to begin with, he could understand her concern and so didn't complain too much about it, no matter how much he wanted to be able to fly.

The sound of a person falling out of the floo jerked James out of his musings over the past three weeks. Looking up from his book, there really wasn't a lot he could do, he smiled when he saw Remus dusting himself off.

'Hey Moony, you alright?' James asked as he swung his legs off the sofa and putting the book down beside him, remembering to put the book mark in. Remus gave a weak smile, his face pale and tired. It was the full moon that night, and Carla had allowed the young werewolf to stay over. Since there was plenty of room for him and Sirius to run around with no danger to other people as the land was very heavily protected with various wards, it made a perfect place to go for the full moon.

James had admitted everything to his Mum when she caught him with antlers in his room one summer. She had immediately lectured him about safety before giving him a much more in depth book about becoming Animagus' and setting up multiple wards that would allow Remus to run about on their land without a chance of his escaping. The moment when the two Potters had gone to the Lupin's had been tense when they explained that they knew, but it had soon calmed down when Carla had revealed her plan, as well as the children's plans. Remus' mum had been worried about such powerful magic at some age, but Mrs Potter had calmed her when she said how far James had gotten in his transformation and that there was no way back at that point. It seemed to bring the two families closer, resulting in Mr and Mrs Lupin often visiting at different points during the summer, especially during the full moons.

'Not too bad, and you?' Remus answered as he let his small bag by the fire and slumped onto the sofa next to his friend.

'Same old same old. Leg and ribs still gives me some trouble, but other than that, pretty good.' Remus nodded in understanding before leaning his head back and closing his eyes. 'Did you want me to go out with you tonight?' James asked; he was pretty sure he'd be able to manage it, even if he couldn't stay the entire night, he'd be able to do most of it. Remus;' eyes flew open.

'NO! You're not going out tonight! It's far too dangerous!' Was the immediate response the dark haired boy received.

'It's no different than any other time we do it!' James argued back, determined to be there for his friend.

'It is different, you're injured. Do you really think you can walk without your stick or run about on it? And what about your arm, it's in a cast and broken?' Remus sighed at the disappointment on his friends face, as well as the guilt before reassuring him. 'Look, I know you want to be there for me, but this once you can't. It's like me trying to get to one of your Quidditch games right after a full moon, its simply impossible. I don't blame you at all for not being there.' Looking into James' eyes, Remus could see the relief, the relief both for not having to suffer the entire night in pain, but also being forgiven for not being there.

'Thanks Rem, and I really am sorry.'

The floo roared again and Remus' parents stepped through effectively stopping the two teen's conversation. Since Mrs Lupin was a muggle, she had to travel with her husband, but managed to step out of the floo better than some Purebloods, much to their chagrin. The Potters house, as well as most magical things always fascinated her, while whenever the purebloods visited her house, she was always amused to see how they reacted the same way as she did, but towards the muggle things she kept in the house, such as the washing machine.

'Hi Mr and Mrs Lupin.' James called over cheerily, the two adults smiling back.

'James dear, how often do we have to tell you to call us John and Mary?' Mrs Lupin asked, mock exasperatedly as she made her way over to the two boys, and hugged the injured boy.

'I don't know, why, have you kept count?' James retorted; he got on very well with the Lupin's, even if he did refuse to call them by their first names.

'I believe you're up to 32 times by now.' John replied with a straight face as he joined his wife. 'How are you feeling?' He asked with a touch of concern as he studied the boy. The bruises had all but vanished while the cuts had disappeared into small silver marks as they left a scar. The only hint he was injured from an outside look was the walking stick next to him, and the cast on his arm. The bandaging around his ribs was hidden by the tee shirt he was wearing.

'Pretty good, should be back to Quidditch and causing mischief in no time at all!' Prongs answered with a grin.

'Well, let's keep the mischief to a minimum; I'm sure it's your influence that has Remus in so many detentions.' Mary told him, not entirely seriously, like Carla, she enjoyed the inventiveness of the boys when it came to pranks, although two Owls a week about the pranks they'd pulled was a little too much in her opinion. James gave a look of hurt.

'Mrs Lupin, how could you blame me? I'm led astray by your son, who constantly pulls pranks on everyone he meets and you blame me!' Remus gave an incredulous look while John and Mary laughed. They knew exactly who the leading forces were, but they were thankful Remus had such loyal and dedicated friends who would do so much for him, as well as bring him out of his shy shell most people saw.

'Where's your partner in crime and Mum?' Mary looked around, not seeing the other dark haired boy that was rarely a few feet away from his brother.

'I think Siri's still in bed, either that or he's in the shower.' James tried to remember whether he'd seen Padfoot that morning, and deciding he hadn't, said the places he was most likely to be found. Remus rolled his eyes, only Sirius would be asleep at 11am, especially knowing people were coming around that morning.

The week before, James had been practicing going up and down stairs more, and so the two boys had moved back to their own bedrooms. It was a moment all of them had been pleased with since it meant the boy was healing, a fact they were all very happy about.

'Mum's in the kitchen, I think you know your way there!' James then added, grinning at the last sentence. It was true that they had been there so often, they knew the house almost as well as its occupants.

The two adults left the room after promising to see them later, going instead to find James' mother. There was silence for a few minutes as the two teens enjoyed the presence of each other and the comfort they found before they were interrupted by a yell.

'REMUS! REMMY! REMMY! REMMY!' Sirius yelled, causing the adults in the kitchen to laugh while James and Remus winced at the volume, while running over to his friend, sitting on the poor boys lap and hugging him tightly.

'Nice to see you too Siri,' Remus wheezed as he tried to breath, but slowly turned blue.

'Padfoot, let him go before he turns completely blue!' James scolded his over active friend, who grinned sheepishly before letting go.

'So what's the occasion, I mean I was here two days ago.' Sirius shrugged.

'I need a reason to be happy to see my friends?' There really was nothing either boy could say to that, so decided to push Sirius onto another part of the sofa, and off the sandy haired boy. Facing the other two, Sirius stretched his legs over the two of them and lent back against the arm of the sofa, finally calming down slightly. 'So, what we doing today?' The grey eyed boy asked, bored already of the silence that had descended once again.

'Well, I thought maybe we could go and do the tango followed by trying out for the marathon, what about you Moony.' James answered innocently, earning a snort from the other two.

'Really? I was planning to prank every person in the neighbourhood.' Remus followed James' lead and gave the most improbable situation he could think of. Although he may normally be initially reluctant to pull a prank, he was the one who could help find the right spells, he just rarely initiated the idea of pulling a prank.

'Oh, that a shame; I was really looking forward to sitting quietly on this sofa for the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing.' Sirius gave his answer, before the three of them gave up the act and started laughing.

'You know, seriously, the pranking idea may have some credit to it.' James mused, his mind already churning out a few ideas, Sirius grinned at him while Remus put his head in his hands.

'Yeah, I like it, but on who? It's not as though there's any neighbours to pull one on and I don't think Mum's going to let us out of her sight.' Sirius realised, thinking hard on who to use their ideas on. James' grin only got bigger.

'I don't think we need to leave the house at all, I think a little light heartedness is needed after everything, and before tonight,' he added as an afterthought, looking at Remus and Sirius who instantly caught on.

'No; no! no! no!' Remus chanted as though it would make the idea go away, meanwhile the Marauder side of him thinking how great an opportunity it would be and which prank would be best to pull. Sirius lay back laughing with glee at the idea before becoming more serious; the three of them huddled up and began exchanging ideas, feeling better already, or at least James and Remus were, the excitement overpowering any tiredness or pain they were feeling.

Sneaking to the outside of the door, James peeped inside, spying the three adults who were all sat around the kitchen table, drinking cups of what could either be tea or coffee and chatting about the local gossip as well as how well their children were doing. Prongs gave a nod to the other two who gave him a thumbs up.

Stepping into the kitchen, James pulled out three mugs and placed them onto the work surface before speaking to the other adults. 'Hey, I'm just making us a drink; did any of you want another cup while I'm here?' As he expected after seeing how much they had left in their mugs, all instantly agreed.

Pouring the other Marauders some hot chocolate, he made sure they were out of the way on another tray before filling the adults' mugs, with coffee as well as a special Marauders potion. Trying not to smile, he passed out the mugs again before floating his own tray out of the room and back to the living room, receiving a murmur of thanks as they briefly broke their conversation and sampled their drinks.

'So?' Sirius demanded as he grabbed his own mug, trying not to bounce in excitement so as to keep the hot liquid in the mug. James gave a nod.

'Part one, complete. How did part two go?' The smiles on the others faces were enough of an answer as the injured boy sat back and drank his own drink. All they had to do was wait now.

All too soon it came about. The raised voices of the adults coming towards them caused them to struggle to keep back their laughter as they waited to see the potions results. The door banged open and three very unimpressed parents glared at the teens.

'Hello Mum, is there a problem?' James asked politely, amazed at his own restraint. The glare he received was enough to kill.

'Esrever. Ti. Won!' Mrs Potter demanded, glaring at the three boys, stating each word carefully and tonelessly as though she was finding it very difficult to keep from shouting.

'I'm sorry Mrs Potter, I don't understand,' Remus tried, keeping up the clueless act, 'is that English your speaking?' It was his own parents that turned their attention to him this time.

'Sumer Nipul, uoy wonk yltcaxe tahw ev'uoy enod, esrever ti won!' Mary demanded, equally as forcefully. Unfortunately it was then their slim control on their laughter broke, hearing their parents telling them off while their words were backwards was too much for them, setting them off into hysterics, James holding onto his ribs as hard as he could to keep the pain to a minimum. The adults watched them, annoyed but glad to see them laughing again. With so many depressing things happening, James' injuries, Remus' werewolf problem and Sirius' family problems as well as the rise of Voldemort, it was nice to see laughter, even if was at their own expense, not that they would EVER tell them that! It was a far too inviting offer to being the victim of more pranks than they could count for the rest of the holidays; they really weren't that stupid!

As the laughter finally finished, the three of them reluctantly nodded, before releasing the spell with the code words.

'With the words of the Marauders, may the mischief be done.' The words they spoke together causing a misty stag, shaggy dog and werewolf to seem to appear faintly before disappearing again.

'Thank you boys, now, may we return to our conversation?' Mr Lupin asked, far too politely to be happy, but not wanting to push it, knowing what was going to happen next, they all nodded, and waited until they had left the room before dissolving into more laughter.

'Oh boy are we in trouble when they find out what part two is!' James managed to get out as he gulped in breaths. Thos sobered them up.

'How about we go to Lily's? They can't get us there.' Sirius suggested, finally coming up with a good plan.

Remus and James shared a look. 'Sounds good to me.' They both agreed before summoning their shoes and a bag of money. Sirius darted into the kitchen, telling them where they were headed before helping the other two to move quicker by floating them to the road where they summoned the knight bus.

'Phew, that was close!' James gave a sigh of relief as the three of them sat down.

'How long did we have left?' Remus queried, not remembering exactly how long the time release on the spell was for.

'Three minutes.' Sirius worked out as he studied his watch. They winced in unison at how close they had been before enjoying the rides there, they had been on the fast bus so many times they found it exhilarating instead of terrifying as most people did.

The bus finally jolted to a stop on the otherwise quiet neighbourhood, and the three boys got off, waving goodbye to the bus driver.

Bounding up the stairs, Sirius rang the doorbell, then finding out what kind of noise it made, rang it repeatedly, trying to make it into one of his own tunes while James and Remus followed slowly behind. The door swung open to reveal a very irritated woman, Holly Evans James recognised.

'What do-' she cut herself off as she recognised James from when he first turned up on her doorstep those few weeks before. 'James Potter, how nice to see you looking so well, come in!' She changed her attitude to welcoming.

'Sorry just to show up like this unannounced, we were hoping to see Lily.' He suddenly caught that he hadn't introduced his two friends. 'Oh, this is Remus Lupin and the doorbell ringer is Sirius Black.

'Havre you never rung a doorbell before?' Holly asked curiously, shocked when he shook his head.

'No, how does it work? Is there a house elf in there that plays the tune each time? Or is it that elekatissity stuff or-' Sirius rambled excitedly, enjoying the muggle invention while Remus shook his head in despair, Holly and James looking at him in amusement.

'Mum, who was the nutter at the door' Lily's voice cut Sirius off as she shouted from somewhere in the small (well, compared to James' house most houses seem small!) house.

'I believe some of your friends are here dear.' Holly called back, trying not to laugh while the three boys tried to decide whether or not they should be insulted.

'I'm insulted,' Sirius declared after a few moments of pondering, the footsteps of Lily coming closer to the door.

'I'm not,' Remus and James chorused.

'How can you not be?' Sirius demanded incredulously, glaring at both of them.

'It wasn't us who was ringing the doorbell, so she wasn't talking about us.' Remus explained.

'And you have to admit, you really aren't all there,' James picked up before the two of them added together.

'But we love you anyway.'

'Aww shucks, I may blush!' Sirius tried to look dramatic causing his friends to snort in amusement while Holly looked on in amazement at the three wizards' behaviour.

'You blush? The world must be coming to an end!' Lily's voice interrupted them, 'so you're the doorbell choir.' She added, leaning against the open door. Sirius nodded with a grin causing Lily to roll her eyes. 'Is there are reason you're all here or is it simply to see what tunes you can play on our bell?' She asked after no one volunteered an explanation, only her smile giving away that she wasn't cross. The boys looked slightly sheepish.

'Well, you see, we thought it may be best to leave the manor for a few hours due to an…' James trailed off trying to think of the correct term.

'…Incident,' Remus finished, the three of them trying, and failing, to look innocent. Lily raised her eyebrow at this, having a very good idea what they had done, but allowed them in anyway. Holly smiled to herself as she made her way back to the kitchen where she had been reading the newspaper knowing the four of them would be fine without her.

For Holly, it seemed only minutes before a loud yelling came from the livingroom where she had heard the teens go earlier, only belatedly realising she'd been reading the paper for 2 hours; rushing into the room, she stared in horror at the scene.

Sitting on the floor, James, Lily, Sirius and Remus covered their ears at the yelling from the red Howler that had caught on fire as it exploded after the small owl had dropped it.

'REMUS JOHN LUPIN, JAMES ARISTIDE POTTER AND SIRIUS ORION BLACK, YOU THREE ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE WHEN YOU COME BACK, AND YES YOU WILL BE COMING BACK HERE VERY SOON! IF WE DON'T SEE YOU BEFORE THREE O CLOCK THERE WILL BE EVEN MORE TROUBLE, ESPECIALLY IF WE CAN'T FIND THE COUNTER CURSE, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD YOUNG MEN? I CANNOT BELIEVE AT YOUR AGES YOU WILL STILL PULL THESE PRANKS,'

'Of course playing them at school is far better' Mrs Potters voice cut into Mrs Lupin's rant at a much lower volume, she seemend alsmot amused by the incident, but the other decided it must be their imaginations; it was almost possible Mrs Lupin's eyes rolling at this comment, but it didn't seem to deter her in the least as the volume increased once again.

'WHILE THEY MAY SOMETIMES BE AMUSING, CAUSING US TO STICK TO OUR CHAIRS AND GIVING US GREEN AND PINK MOHAWKS IS CHILDISH AND INCONVENIENT.'

'Ah, so now the real reason for the howler comes about, but boy has your mum got a good set of lungs!' Sirius commented, 'but not as good as The Old Hag who some people think is my biological mother,' he then added on the end, causing him to get a number of eye rolls since none of them were particularly bothered by the howler.

'Siri, as far as Mums concerned, she gave birth to you!' James told him wryly, causing Padfoot to grin at this, he always loved the love and affection Carla gave to him; it made him feel as though he really did have her as a mother and not the Old Hag he had run away from.

'SO REALLY, THE SOONER YOU GET HOME THE LESS THE PUNISHMENT WILL BE,' the letter shredded itself and the flames finally went out, leaving only an ashy pile of shredded paper on the carpet.

'Well that was unexpected.' Holly commented before going off to a different part of the house to retrieve her book that she knew she had left somewhere; she had decided quite early on there were something's in the magical world there really weren't explanations for, and screaming letters seemed a good place to draw the line.

'So I guess your plan for hiding out here didn't work?' Lily asked as she removed her hands from where they were covering her ears.

'Nah, worked fine. It meant she couldn't hex us or shout at us to our faces.' James answered with a grin, causing Lily to chuckle at their theory.

'And it means by the time we go back, no matter what they say, they'll have cooled off.' Remus added. Lily could only shake her head at this; there really wasn't anything else possible at that point.

Limping their way back up the driveway to the manor, the three boys crept into the house, which was only spoilt when James' walking stick slipped and sent him almost crashing to the ground had Sirius not grabbed him, but the damage was done as the noise they made could be very clearly heard throughout the house.

James gasped and gulped in air as his ribs were jarred severely as his friend caught him, clenching his eyes closed, he waited for the throbbing pain to die down. Sirius held him not so tightly it hurt him more, but enough so that he wouldn't fall while Remus ran to get the adults, while also checking they had managed to free themselves.

Carla, John and Mary hurried into the room, seeing the pain the young boy was in, and so quickly gave him another pain relieving tablet while Remus handed him the water. James really couldn't wait to be able to take the pain relieving potions, they worked far better and quicker than the muggle tablets, but he did have to admit, the potions tasted far, far worse. 'Sorry,' James looked downcast that once again it had been his injuries that had messed things up again. The good feelings from the enjoyable day, and lunch, spent with Lily evaporating fast.

Trying his best to not sound too exasperated, although failing Sirius also tried not to slap his friend (something he didn't fail at) around the head as he spoke. 'James, once again, it is not your fault. Accidents happen, this was simply an accident.' Remus nodded in agreement as the two of them led the scruffy haired teen into the livingroom and helped him sit down onto the sofa, the adults following them into the room. A small smile crossed James' face and stayed as he lent into his friends, resting his head on Sirius' shoulder on one side while Remus did the same on the other; the effects on the full moon already beginning to affect him.

All too soon it seemed for everyone, the moon rose and the sound on two canines howling to the moon could be heard. Shivering slightly, James sat upstairs in his room, the window closed in front of him and wrapped in a thick blanket while sitting on his bed, watching them play together in the moonlight. Just because he couldn't be with them didn't mean he wasn't going to watch over them as he always did. He was the pack leader, for him not to watch over them would never do, and besides, he mused, they'll know he was there. Moony always commented, as well as the other two, he could always feel the Stags presence no matter how far away he was, must be a pack thing James decided, keeping up his vigil. The other adults were downstairs, nursing many drinks to help them through the night, no one able to sleep while their sons were outside.

'James, James.' A persistent voice nagged at the edge of his fuzzy mind. James. That was a familiar name, it was his name. Someone was calling him.

'Wa' was all he could get out, before feeling something cool touching his forehead.

'He's burning up! MUM! MUM!' The voice yelled, cutting straight through the fuzz and causing his head to pound even more. It felt as though every nerve ending was beginning to heat up. There was something pushing down on him, something making him hotter, he pushed off the offending blanket and gave a small sigh at the coolness that rushed over his body, but it was too cold now. He needed the blanket back. Grabbing the blanket, he pulled it back over his aching body; Merlin did he feel awful.


	10. Chapter 9

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show so please don't sue.**

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, but I was so caught up with essays and exams I just haven't been able to update as quickly, but its here now, so enjoy!**

**Saturn-Lily: Thanks, glad you are enjoying it. Just to clear that up, yes it is morning now. I was trying to make it James' point of view so he doesn't really know when it is or what's happening. Hope you didn't have to wait too long for this!**

**Sumerlovin9191: Glad to know you are so into the story, well, here is the next part!**

Sleepily stumbling into James' bedroom, Sirius tried to keep his eyes open as he searched for his brother. He knew James wouldn't be happy with him if he didn't tell him how the previous night went before he stumbled to his own bed. Looking around the room, he blinked slowly as he saw the lump on top of the bed, huddled under the duvet, lying as though he had fallen asleep looking out the window before slumping over. Sirius rolled his eyes, he thought he had felt Prongs' gaze upon them last night, but dismissed it as his own paranoia. When it had disappeared a few hours later, and a feeling something wasn't right replaced it, he had simply ignored it, assuming once again it was his imagination, and instead concentrated on the werewolf he was playing with at the time.

'James, James.' Sirius called out to wake the other boy as he went over to the bed. There was no reply for a few seconds before a low noise came from the blanketed lump which sounded only vaguely like words.

'Wa?' This worried the boy, instantly waking him up. Although James hated mornings and would do anything to avoid getting up for a bit, he always spoke normally, and if not, then only slightly blurred by sleep and was almost always properly awake; even if he didn't want to leave the cosy bed. Sirius burrowed into the duvet and found James' forehead, before instantly pulling his hand back.

'He's burning up!' He muttered to himself before calling out, 'Mum! Mum!' Sirius yelled, dashing out from the room and to the kitchen where the three adults were checking Remus over still for any injuries he had accidentally gained during the night.

'Sirius, I thought you were going to bed?' Carla gently scolded him, keeping her voice down so as not to disturb Remus too much, who looked as though he was about to nod off at any second.

'I was, but James is sick!' Carla looked startled and shocked. Quickly finishing off the last of the healing, she left the battered boy with his parents while she ran upstairs, Sirius right behind her. Hurrying over to the side of the bundle, she slipped her hand inside, placing her hand on the shivering boy's forehead; it was far too hot to touch.

'I came in and he was like this.' Sirius explained, taking in Carla's reaction, it seemed she too realised he wasn't well.

'I think he just has a fever, I'll get my potions.' Sirius went over to the bundle and sat beside his friend, pulling the lump towards him so James could have some comfort in that someone was there while Carla went to get her kit. It was finally something she could do to help her boy after having to watch him suffer for the last few weeks.

James groaned and half of his body emerged from the cocoon, his face flushed and eyes unfocused even more so than usual when he was without his glasses.

'Si'us' James' voice croaked out as he tried to see who it was he was leaning against.

'Yeah, I'm here Jimmy,' Sirius answered, pushing back the damp hair that had flopped into his friends face.

'Head hurts,' James managed to get out before dissolving into coughing.

'I know it does, but Mum'll be able to make it go away as soon as she comes back.' Carla chose that moment to re-enter the room. Briskly taking her sons temperature, she helped him sit up with Sirius making sure he didn't fall back over again. Forcing a number of potions down his throat, she sighed as she took in her sons pale complex.

'He should be fine in a few hours, we're lucky wizards have potions to get rid of these kinds of things.' Carla told her other son. 'Now come on, into bed with you, you've been up all night and you'll do James no help by getting ill yourself.' Sirius reluctantly nodded, already feeling his eyelids drooping from exhaustion. He was amazed he had managed to stay awake this long, but he supposed it was simply the adrenalin that pushed it away. Not even realising it, he slowly drifted off while James, who had fallen asleep almost immediately after taking the last potion, was still leaning on him. Carla smiled at the scene before adjusting her sons so they were both lying on the bed, pulling the blanket up over both of them.

The friendship and brotherhood those two shared never ceased to amaze her, it was strong enough to weather anything, goodness knows what would happen to either of them if one of them wasn't there anymore; she doubted they'd ever survive it. Giving one last smile, she quietly closed the door, she'd be back in a bit to see how they were doing, she could never get tired of seeing them, whether sleeping or bounding around the house pulling their pranks; they were her boys, no matter what Sirius' birth certificate claimed.

Slowly waking up, Sirius almost fell off the edge of the bed when he realised he was looking into a pair of amber eyes. 'Remus!' Sirius exclaimed in a whisper, all too aware of his sleeping friend next to him. 'How are you doing?' Remus gave a half shrug.

'Not too bad considering. Having you there really makes it easier; can get over it quicker. How you and sleeping beauty here doing? Carla said he had a fever.' Remus asked, trying his best not to yawn too much. Sirius snorted at the description of their friend before stretching as he sat up, James didn't stir at all.

'I'm okay, be fine by tomorrow. Guess we'll just have to wait til he wakes up.' Padfoot answered quietly. 'Look, that chairs got to be uncomfortable, just get in the bed already Moony.' He scolded his more conservative friend, who simply rolled his eyes, but did as was requested before the two of them slowly drifted back off to sleep.

Opening his eyes, James instantly clenched his eyes closed once more, trying to escape from the blinding light that seared into his sensitive eyes. Groaning, he tried to pull his pillow out from beneath his head to cover his pounding skull, only to receive a yelp and a soft thunk behind him.

'Jimmy, you awake?' Sirius' voice startled him, rolling over, he gaped in shock that two of his best friends were in the same bed as him before closing his eyes once again as the headache got worse.

'Maybe.' His voice came out croaky, surprising him even more. 'I'm thinking this is a dream though, since my two best friends are in bed with me. Just tell me if your clothed or not!' Sirius let out a barking laugh at his brother's confusion, which only caused James to groan once more as the pounding reached new levels in his head and Remus to jerk awake.

The joking retort about how good last night had been died on his lips as he saw how much pain Prongs was in. Remus noticing the same gave a nod and disappeared out of the room to fetch Carla and her potions. 'Yeah, we are Prongs. We were just tired waiting for you to wake up and fell asleep here. How you feeling?'

Squinting, James lifted his head from the pillow and finally looked at his dishevelled friend. Sirius' hair looked more like his own while most of his clothing was rumpled from where he had slept in it. 'Head hurts. What happened?'

'You've had a fever; you were really out of it when we got in this morning.' Sirius looked away at this point, unable to meet James' eyes and show how worried he had been when he saw the scruffy haired boy looking that bad. Seeing the familiar avoidance technique, James reached up and forced their eyes to meet; sighing when he saw the emotions he expected to see. Before he could say anything though, the door flew open, and Carla bustled in.

'James dear, how are you feeling?' Carla asked in a motherly tone while Remus perched on the side of the bed next to Padfoot.

'Hurt, my head really hurts' James answered before being force-fed another batch of potions. It felt as though someone had poured warm water on him as the pain was washed away, leaving him feeling a lot better, only his muscles telling him how tired his body was. 'Thanks Mum.' He told her as he finally squinted in her direction, only this time not from the sunlight but lack of glasses as he tried to remember where he had put them the night before, not that he really remembered when he'd fallen asleep. Smiling as she realised why he wasn't properly focused on her, his eyesight only allowing him to see things close to him, she passed over his glasses, receiving a thankful look from him.

'Are you sure you feel okay now?' She fussed much to the boys' amusement.

'Yes Mum, bodies just a little bit weak and tired, otherwise I feel okay. Why did I get ill now?'' Prongs asked, the thought suddenly coming to him. He'd felt alright the day before, just the starting of a cold, slightly groggy, but nothing that told him he would become that ill. Carla looked thoughtful for a moment as she thought about the answer while the other two Marauders also looked interested.

'I suppose it's all those tablets your on. They make you more susceptible to illnesses so what you probably would have fought off without even knowing about it, turned out to be much more serious.' At this, Sirius seemed to blanch before making an excuse about going to the bathroom and leaving the room.

'I'll go see where he really went.' Remus stated after a few seconds of silence, none of them truly believing Sirius' excuse, they all knew him far too well for it. James shook his head.

'No, I'll go; I think this is more to do with me and the accident.' Remus nodded in understanding, he had thought it was probably that but felt he should at least offer to go, but James would be the best person to deal with whatever was bothering their normally cheerful friend.

'Are you sure you're up to it dear? You aren't going to strain yourself-' James cut her off before she could list everything that could go wrong, which since she was a healer was quite a list.

'I'll be fine Mum; I'm not leaving the house or anything like that.' Rolling her eyes good naturedly, she let the rest of her arguments go. Seeing her sons eyes hadn't left her, she once again rolled her eyes before smirking.

'Honestly James, you think I haven't seen you in your underwear before! Merlin, I gave birth to you AND changed your nappy, I think I've seen all of you by now!' Carla admonished him, but still got up. James blushed deeply while Remus did his best to look as though he wasn't laughing, and failing miserably at it.

The door shut behind Carla, and James pushed the blankets off him, revealing him to be only wearing a pair of snitch boxer shorts, his body glistening slightly with sweat. Taking a deep breath as he realised just doing that had taken up quite a bit of his energy; he pushed himself off the bed, before almost falling straight over again had Remus not caught him.

'You alright Prongs?' Moony asked after a couple of seconds of holding him up, James gave a weak nod and managed to reach his stick. Using it to keep himself up, he hobbled over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of old pyjama bottoms and a scruffy tee shirt that had obviously seen far better days before trying to get them on. Seeing the difficulty James was having, Remus silently helped him, neither wanting to acknowledge the actions, but the grateful smile James gave when he was dressed was enough to tell Remus he had done the right thing. 'Are you sure you'll be okay?' Remus checked, seeing how much energy even the smallest tasks were taking the Animagus.

'I'll be fine Mama Moony, really, I'll be sat wherever he is anyway,' James answered with a grin knowing how much the werewolf loved being called that name, and wasn't disappointed when the familiar look of irritation crossed the sandy blond boys face.

'Just yell if you need anything, I'll go and help get whatever meal we feel like eating ready.' James smiled and followed Remus out of the bedroom before turning in the opposite direction. Opening the bathroom door, he saw the person he had been looking for sat on the floor, leaning against the bath tub. Sirius looked up and wasn't entirely surprised at seeing James in the doorway. Not a word was spoken as James crossed the room and sat on the floor opposite the dog Animagus, leaning against the wall.

'What would you have done if I was really using the toilet?' Sirius asked after James didn't seem to want to start the conversation. James smirked.

'Told you there was nothing I hadn't seen before,' James answered, shooting back the answer Sirius had given him a few weeks before when helping him out of the bath. Sirius gave a small smile at the memory.

'I'm sorry.' Sirius murmured so quietly James struggled to hear the apology.

'What for?' Prongs replied with a shrug, not too sure where the other boy was coming from. Sirius looked at him incredulously.

'Oh come on, I've almost killed you twice now since we left Hogwarts!'

'Sirius, you haven't.' Prongs told him firmly. 'The motorbike thing was my fault, I was riding it-'

'And whose bike is it? If I hadn't bought it, you wouldn't have been riding it and the driver wouldn't have knocked you off, and it wasn't your fault!' Padfoot shot back, cutting off James' argument.

'It was an accident! It was wet, and hard to see, it was an accident, you had nothing to do with it! I could easily have been hurt crossing the road.'

'But you weren't hurt because you crossed the road, you were hurt because I was obsessed with muggle motorbikes and left you feeling less important to me!' The argument began to get more heated as the boys' voices rose.

'I chose to leave the hopstal, you had nothing to do with it; I was fine, just a bit battered.' James instantly retorted; getting the feeling they'd had a similar argument earlier.

'No, you left because you thought I wouldn't want to be friends with you because you damaged the bike, and then got ill because your immune system was low and because I got you to play a prank and take you out-'

'Enough!' James cut in, his eyes blazing with anger at the thoughts his friend was happening. 'Look at me and listen very carefully, the bike was an accident, there probably wasn't any way to prevent it except he driver paying more attention to the road. I understand NOW I am more important to you and I shouldn't have left the hopstal. The illness would have come about whether I had stayed at the hopstal or not, I would still have been on the same drugs and at some point I would still have gone out.' James took a breath, trying to fight off the weariness the potions and fever had left him with. He held up a hand to stop any comments Sirius was about to make, who listened and simply waited. 'You didn't force me to play the prank, in fact I may have been the one to suggest it, and even if we hadn't, I still would have wanted to go outside, and at some point I would still have gotten the illness, understood?' Sirius nodded sheepishly. 'Good, now come over here.' Padfoot did as he was told, the two boys leaning against one another for support.

'Thanks Jimmy, I guess you're right, they were simply accidents.' Sirius agreed.

'Of course I'm right! I'm James Potter!' The scruffy haired boy announced smugly, breaking the ice as the two of them laughed. 'You better now?' James asked after they finished laughing.

'Yeah, how about you?'

'Mentally, fine, physically, I just hope you can help me get up again and to the food!' Sirius smiled at his brother before getting up and helping James off the floor, giving him the extra strength he needed to get to the kitchen.

Going into the warm kitchen, the three adults, Mrs Potter, Mrs Lupin and Mr Lupin as well as Remus looked up.

'Everything okay now boys?' Carla asked as she motioned for them to take their seats as she served up whatever meal they had prepared. Her two sons looked at each other and smiled.

Yeah, I think we covered everything, we're good.' James answered her; Carla beamed at this. They may have seemed to solve their problems a while ago, but now everything truly was sorted between them, and their friendship was stronger for it.

'So Moony; what's our back to school prank going to be? I know you'll be pestering us about it soon-' Sirius was cut off as Remus threw a piece of bread at him while the adults laughed; it was good to get back to normal.

* * *

**A/N: okay, a slightly smaller chapter, but all that's left now is the epilogue which hopefully should be up soon!**


	11. Epilogue

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show so please don't sue.**

**A/N: Summerlovin9191: I know, I was sort of sad when it came to an end, but it had to at some point. I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so much, and I have just done another friendship story between Sirius and James called The Runaway. Hope you check it out! But anyway, here's the very last chapter of The Motorbike Accident…**

Sitting on the pavement outside the Potter Manor, Lily, Remus, Carla and Peter watched in anticipation at the antics of the two boys in front of them. That morning they had returned to the hospital for the final check up and the cast on James' arm had been removed. As soon as they had gotten back to the manor, Carla had given her son all the potions she could make which instantly healed knee and ribs, much to everyone's happiness. Peter had gotten back from his holiday and instantly come to see his friends, apologising for not being there earlier. James had told him he understood, and was thankful he was there now, even if he couldn't be earlier.

The Head positions at Hogwarts had also been announced when their letters came, and it wasn't really a surprise when Lily had become Head Girl. The real surprise had been when James had become Head Boy. Thinking it was one of Padfoot's pranks; James had returned the letter 8 times before Dumbledore himself had hand delivered it, much to the shock of the three marauders, Lily and Carla who happened to be there when he came. James hadn't told anyone of the letter, not wanting to be embarrassed when it turned out to be a prank, and needless to say there were many celebrations hosted by James and Sirius' mum that night for both James and Lily.

Remus hadn't been disappointed that he hadn't gotten it saying he had enough problems being a werewolf and prefect, being Head Boy would only make the problems and stress worse.

'Come on James,' Sirius' voice shook Lily out of her musings as she turned her attention back to the road. Sirius' bike had been fixed, and now James and Sirius were about to test it out, only James was more than a little reluctant.

'I'm just not sure about this Siri, I mean look what happened last time I rode it!' James argued back. Sirius rolled his eyes, this was not the first time James had used this argument.

'James, you are already dressed correctly to go riding, and I won't let anything happen to you, promise.' This seemed to almost convince the scruffy haired boy. It was true, both of the boys were dressed in their black leathers; leather trousers and jackets, along with their gloves and boots for riding the motorbike, while their helmets were perched on top the saddle of the bike. 'I promise Jim, nothing, touch wood of course, will happen, I won't let it.'

'Alright, I'll do it,' James finally agreed. The remaining two Marauders and Lily cheered while Carla looked slightly worried, but wasn't about to stop them. She knew this was the best way of getting James back on the bike, otherwise he never would.

Slipping on their helmets, Sirius got on first before James sat behind him, his arms wrapped tightly around Sirius' waist.

'Jim, I need to breath!' Sirius wheezed when the arms didn't loosen.

'Sorry.' James muttered sheepishly, loosening up so the other boy could regain some oxygen.

'Don't worry about it, I was kind of expecting it,' Sirius brushed aside the apology. 'Ready?'

'As I'll ever be.' Was the answer he received, smiling behind his helmet, Sirius started the engine, enjoying the power of the engine beneath him.

'Be safe you two!' Carla shouted to them, trying to be heard over the roar of the engine. Giving her a thumbs up from each of them before Sirius took the handlebar again and James held once more onto Sirius and then they were off. The two of them roared down the normally quiet road and away from the manor and their friends, their family.

Carla smiled as she lost sight of them. She was certain their seventh year was going to be their best yet when they started the next day, and now Lily was a friend, Carla was sure James and the red head would be dating by the time the year finished. She really couldn't wait for the wedding.

'Shall we go inside for drinks?' Carla asked as she stood up. The others nodded enthusiastically, after all, they had a bit of time before James and Sirius would be back, they may as well chat about the upcoming year, especially since it would be the last before they would be out in the real world.

Carla had a feeling they would do just fine after Hogwarts, especially since they had each other, and when they were together, how could they possibly go wrong?

James smiled as he felt the wind rush past him, glad he'd been talked into riding again. Whenever Sirius was there, it made James feel safer as he knew Sirius wouldn't let any harm come to him, or at least, as much as it was in his power to keep him safe from harm, and he knew he would do the same for his brother, because that's what they were. Brothers.

The End

* * *

A/N: Thank you ever so much to everyone who reviewed, especially Summerlovin9191 who reviewed for nearly every chapter, along with Theo Darkstar. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have gotten the story the way it was today. The first version of this was BAD and a lot shorter, but since you enjoyed the story so much I lengthened it and changed quite a bit to make it better. Also, a huge thanks to Saturn-Lily, Popping Corn and Shoes-do-not-exist who also reviewed. I must also thank everyone else who has read but not reviewed as I had 1549 Hits for this story, my highest ever! My mum couldn't believe it when I told her the number! Okay, now that it's over, please do review, even those who haven't before, I'd love to know what you think! Any good?! But for now, it's over and I hope you keep an eye out for my other stories!

Thanks once more,

Cha-Cha


End file.
